Social Justice Fund profile: Victoria Street Newz
Published by Patrick April 6th, 2006 in Make Poverty History, South Vancouver Island Tags: poverty, sjf, vancouver-island, victoria.
Funding anti-poverty initiatives in Canada is one of five priority areas for the PSAC’s Social Justice Fund. As part of this the SJF funds initiatives that support a closer collaboration between union members and low income groups in the community, particularly activities that are part of anti-poverty coalitions at the community level.
One of the projects the SJF has funded in BC is the Bread & Roses Collective, a registered not-for-profit society created to support the Victoria Street Newz community newspaper and other projects. The Victoria Street Newz mission is to provide a voice and income opportunities for economically marginalized and/or socially disadvantaged people, while at the same time offering employable skills training, increased self-esteem, confidence, and pride in accomplishments.
Street Newz vendors live on a low income and sign a code of conduct agreeing to be friendly and sober while at work. They pay $.50 for each paper, and sell them by donation at various locations in Victoria’s Downtown, Esquimalt and Saanich. They’re essentially self employed, working as much or as little as they’d like, and free to spend the money they earn as they please. Click for profiles of some of the vendors. Here are the Street Newz issues to date.
Visit the Street Newz website for more information and to read the Street Newz back issues.