StreetWise

Today in class our group watched a video of this program: Streetwise, where the homeless can buy magazines for 72 cents and sell them for $2 each. I like this program and I feel that it's doing good things in a very legal sort of way. So far in class all we've heard about are illegal ways to alleviate homelessness or very long-term process for it, no one's heard of something that could help the people both ways: providing a job and a home. This program does both! It gives them a job first which enables them to save up and afford for shelter. But at the same time this program sounds too good to be true. There has to be a downfall to this sort of thing. Streetwise has to benefit from it somehow. My group and I agreed that something is a bit fishy. What if Streetwise is using the homeless to promote their company? But think about it: if they actually wanted to promote their company wouldn't they have sold the magazines to the homeless for at least a little bit more? Or hired people with homes and experience on advertising. Or least branch to other cities within Illinois? See this whole thing is controversial!
All in all our group agrees that this program is a pretty good program. It allows the homeless to work and do something other than sit around and have people look at them like they're not good for anything.It also gives them an opportunity to branch out and find a stable job (whether it be the company reaching out to them or they reach out the the company).
It's a win-win situation.

Website:
http://streetwise.org/