Street papers are independent newspapers and magazines that provide unique employment opportunities and enterprising social programmes for some of the most marginalised people on Earth. The idea behind a street paper is simple, yet powerful: a homeless vendor buys a copy of the magazine at a price 50 percent or lower than the cover price and sells it to the public, keeping the proceeds. Street Papers offer something unique – they are not just a ‘hand-out’ but an employment opportunity for those who wish to move themselves from poverty back into society.  Street papers also encourage editorial voices missing from traditional media, providing a platform for consistent reporting on poverty and social injustice, as well as writing and visual arts by marginalised people.

The benefits of street papers go far beyond economic opportunity. They build relationships between vendor and reader as face-to-face transactions are made on streets around the world. These interactions help to build bridges between the very poor and the wider public and help people to understand the underlying issues of social exclusion.

For the vendor, street papers offer a positive experience of self-help that breaks through the isolation that many homeless people experience. They offer the public a means to help a homeless person directly and, over time, can often form caring relationships.

INSP street papers are located in 37 countries across the globe across the six continents from the wealthier North to the poorer South.