Helping the Homeless Lift their Heads High(a)

Helping the Homeless Lift their Heads High

by Marcus Maurice

Sometimes people down on their luck need a little help to get back up.

 

　　The late 1980s was a rough time in New York City. Crime was rampant and homelessness was on the rise. The crack cocaine epidemic hit the city particularly hard. Drug addicts were robbing people and stealing anything just to feed their habits. The streets at night seemed that they belonged to drug dealers or rival gangs fighting for territory. Even crimes that did not hurt people, like vandalism and graffiti, scared enough residents that people were wary of taking the subways, especially on certain lines, after dark. To combat these problems, Hutchinson Persons, a rock musician, came up with the idea to start up a street newspaper. Instead of delivering mainstream newspapers like The New York Times or New York Post to customers, Street News' inventive idea was that homeless people would sell papers on the street and collect a share of the profits. This would not only cut down on delivery costs, but also help the sellers break the cycle of homelessness. Street News was extremely popular in the short term, and it also influenced other cities to make street newspapers. One that started in London and is sold at every MRT station in Taiwan is called The Big Issue.

　　The Big Issue started in 1991 in London and was originally put out each month, but it became so popular that it was published weekly within two years. Nowadays, The Big Issue is published in nine countries like Malawi, Kenya, and Namibia in Africa, Ireland in Europe, and Japan, Korea and Taiwan in Asia. All these countries help the homeless with The Big Issue.

 

　　1980 年代后期在纽约市是一段相当混乱的时期。当时犯罪十分猖獗且无家可归的人数也不断攀升。而古柯硷的盛行尤其重挫了该市。吸毒者会抢劫人们和偷窃任何东西，只为了满足他们的毒瘾。夜晚的街道看似属于毒贩或是争夺地盘的帮派份子。即使是像破坏公物和涂鸦等不会伤人的犯罪行为，也吓得市民在搭乘地铁时提心吊胆，特别是入夜后的某些特定路线。为了击退这些问题，摇滚乐手赫金森‧帕森斯想出了一个办法，那就是创办一份街头报纸。《街头报》的创新想法并非发送象是《纽约时报》或是《纽约邮报》等主流报纸给顾客，而是让无家可归的人们能在街上贩售报纸并分享部份的利益。这么做不但减少了运送成本，也帮助卖报纸的人打破无家可归的宿命。《街头报》在短期内便相当受到欢迎，也影响了其他城市筹办街头报纸。其中一份在伦敦创办，且在台湾各捷运站都有贩售的叫做《大志杂志》。

　　《大志杂志》于 1991 年创始于伦敦，起初是每个月发行一次，不过后来因广受欢迎而在两年内改为每周发行一次。如今，《大志杂志》在非洲的马拉威、肯亚和纳米比亚、欧洲的爱尔兰以及亚洲的日本、韩国和台湾等九个国家都有发行。这些国家都藉由《大志杂志》来帮助无家可归的人。