Salt Lake Street News

Today, I ran into a man named Steve. While talking to him, he told me that he was homeless and selling newspapers for a non-profit organization called Salt Lake Street News. Steve first came to me to ask if I wanted to buy one of the newspapers. After I asked what it was, he told me it was a newspaper to raise awareness about the homeless (exactly what I'm doing) and to bring some kind of income to homeless and low-income people. It deals with the issues in Salt Lake and Nationally.

While I was paying for my copy I told him what I am doing and that the information in and about the newspaper would be really helpful. After I told him what I was doing we had a conversation about all the things we see from day to day and how life is on the street. Through selling the paper and working for one of the temp. agencies in the city, Steve has earned enough money to get himself a car to sleep in; an old Bronco.

After a bad experience at a homeless shelter (let's just say he got a drug addict's blood on him), Steve left the shelter and was forced to sleep out on the streets, continually hiding from the police. So, he's very glad for the blessing of his Bronco.

He's always applying for jobs, but there's just not enough jobs for all the people looking for them. He doesn't let that get him down though, and keeps plugging away, hoping that soon he'll be able to earn enough money to get a place to live. It's people like him that are the reason I'm doing what I am.

I asked if I could watch him for a little while and take a few pictures. This is what happened.

Steve was outside the famed Temple Square. On occasion people who have far to much time on their hands hand out Anti-Mormon fliers and such things. My best guess is that this guy thought that's what he was doing at first.

Steve told the man what it really is he's selling and what it's for. They talked about thirty seconds about it.

In the end this man realized that it was a good cause and decided to buy a copy of the newspaper.

So in the end, people have a positive reaction to the Salt Lake Street News. I applaud it for the help that it is, both to the community and to the people who are working hard to better their lives. So to those of you who live in Salt Lake City, if a vendor like Steve approaches you, I ask you to buy a paper. They're working hard to better themselves. The little help you give them will work towards "Real Change, not Spare Change".-Salt Lake Street News