What is the purpose of The Big Issue?

The Big Issue is one of the UK’s leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of homelessness, the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, thereby helping them to reintegrate into mainstream society. It is the world’s most widely circulated street newspaper.

Who and how does The Big Issue Help?

The Big Issue Foundation was founded in 1995 to offer outreach work to vendors. It provides practical help, such as helping vendors to access health care, get to housing meetings or job interviews, open bank accounts and get passports.

What does The Big Issue support?

The Big Issue exists to support people who are homeless, long term unemployed or in need of extra cash to avoid falling into debt. In unpredictable times, we provide an opportunity for people to earn their own income.

Is The Big Issue credible?

The Big Issue is a national award-winning magazine and social enterprise started in London in 1991. The publication has helped 92,000 homeless and impoverished people collectively earn £115 million through work rather than begging. Right now, around 1,500 vendors sell The Big Issue across the UK.

How is The Big Issue socially responsible?

The Big Issue seeks to change the relationship homeless people have with their immediate environment, through giving them the ammunition for self initiated change. The Big Issue operates as a socially responsible business. All post-investment profits from the business are mandated to The Big Issue Foundation.

What type of magazine is The Big Issue?

The Big Issue magazine is a fortnightly, independent magazine sold on the streets by people experiencing homelessness, marginalisation and disadvantage.

How is the big issue financed?

The Big Issue is a social enterprise, and our funding comes directly from vendor sales. This pays for the magazine to be produced and distributed across the UK so it is available for vendors wherever they need it.

Who is the big issue target audience?

The Big Issue audience is young at heart, educated and loyal. Slightly more women than men read The Big Issue, while 46% of our readers are aged between 25 and 49. Compared with the general population, The Big Issue reader is more likely to be: A high-income earner (53%)

What type of magazine is the big issue?

Who owns Big Issue?

The Big Issue was launched in 1991 by Gordon Roddick and John Bird in response to the growing number of rough sleepers on the streets of London. The two believed that the key to solving the problem of homelessness lay in helping people to help themselves.

Do you get paid for selling the big issue?

Sellers still get 50 per cent of the net proceeds from subscriptions, just like buying it in person, and readers can find their local vendor and subscribe directly on the Big Issue vendor map. Anthony Okuyedi, 60, sells the Big Issue outside South Kensington station in London.

Who funds The Big Issue?

Can anyone sell The Big Issue?

As long as you’re 17 or older, you can work with us, even if you have a criminal record. While a third of our vendors are homeless, the majority are not – people sell Big Issue North for a wide variety of reasons, and if you want to work with us, we want to work with you!

Are all Big Issue sellers homeless?

Are all Big Issue in the North vendors homeless? Vendors do not have to be homeless. Some of the people we work with are in private or council tenancies and are at risk of becoming homeless, some are homeless and are living in hostels, staying with friends or families or sleeping rough.

Do people who sell The Big Issue get paid?

Sellers still get 50 per cent of the net proceeds from subscriptions, just like buying it in person, and readers can find their local vendor and subscribe directly on the Big Issue vendor map.

What are the big issue donations spent on?

We support vendors in key areas including housing, finances, health and education.

Where does the big issue money go?

We have over 30 years of experience changing lives through enterprise by supporting Big Issue magazine vendors to earn an income through selling the Big Issue magazine and we have invested £400 million into over 500 social enterprises since 2005.

Who owns big issue?