The Big Issue Foundation is a registered charity in England working with vendors of The Big Issue

The Big Issue

The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...

, a street newspaper

Street newspaper

Street newspapers are newspapers or magazines sold by homeless or poor individuals and produced mainly to support these populations. Most such newspapers primarily provide coverage about homelessness and poverty-related issues, and seek to strengthen social networks within homeless communities...

. The foundation provides vendors with information, advice, guidance and support.

History

The foundation was created in November 1995 by John Bird

John Bird (entrepreneur)

John Bird MBE is a British social entrepreneur. He is best known as the founder of The Big Issue, a magazine that is edited by professional journalists and sold by street vendors affected by homelessness.-Early life:...

 with the aim of addressing the underlying issues which cause homelessness and by supporting Big Issue vendors.

Projects

The foundation has four main project areas under which its services fall: helping vendors establish secure housing, providing access to health advice and healthcare, managing vendors' money and The Big Issue

The Big Issue

The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...

sales, and improving homeless individuals' self-esteem.

Services

The foundation offers several services, including:

• The Vendor Support Fund, which provides financial support to vendors to help them move on and to deal with crisis situations.
• Financial Inclusion Project, a programme of financial literacy support for Big Issue Vendors, aiming to improve their financial skills.
• Service Broker Project, a project to help Big Issue vendors obtain services (such as housing).
• Outreach, which pairs Big Issue vendors with support teams working on the streets.
• Health Week, an annual event where health practitioners provide services to vendors advising on all aspects of health and better lifestyle.
• Aspirations Week, a project seeking to promote an "aspirational" culture among vendors.

Fundraising

The Big Issue Foundation is funded by donations made by Charitable Trusts, individuals and people participating in fundraising events.

Fundraising events include:

• London to Paris Bike Ride
• London to Berlin Bike Ride
• Kilimanjaro Trek
• Great North Run
  Great North Run
  The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...
  
  
• London Marathon
  London Marathon
  The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
  
  
• Asics British 10k London

External links

• The Big Issue Foundation