Vendors

In calendar year 2003 we enrolled 61 brand new vendors and had a total of 148 active vendors. We have had a grand total of 1,716 individual vendors since we began in 1992.

In Fiscal 2003 we:

• Provided an income opportunity for 122 vendors who distributed 204,921 newspapers, which allowed them to make at least $150,700. (Many customers give vendors more than the $1.00 selling price so the actual total earned is unknown.)
• Paid low-income contributing writers, artists and photographers $11,100. (Therefore, a total of $161,700 went directly into the pockets of homeless and low-income people.)

The majority of the people we serve who are homeless or at risk of homelessness come to the Homeless Empowerment Project to sell Spare Change News. While it is our custom to be sensitive to the privacy and independence of vendors, we do have relatively accurate demographic information regarding this part of our general constituency. Approximately 80% of vendors are male and the ages range from 22 to 68 years old. 43% of current vendors are African American, 42% are Caucasian and 6% are Native3 American, 3% are Hispanic, the remaining vendors are Asian or "other." 77% of Spare Change vendors are or have been homeless 33% are low-income and all members of the vendor community have experienced severe economic disadvantage.