Street Sights, Rhode Island’s only street newspaper to cover homelessness, was honored with an award for “most improved street newspaper, for making exceptional gains in improving the paper’s content and design” by the North American Street Newspaper Association during a July conference in Denver, Colo. Providence Business News spoke with Elizabeth Ochs, coordinating editor, about the newspaper, its mission and staff, and how the paper is financially supported.
PBN: Tell us about Street Sights.
OCHS: Street Sights is the only newspaper of its kind in Rhode Island – a monthly street newspaper covering news and issues related to homelessness and affordable housing, serving as the most current guide for local resources for the homeless, and giving a voice to the homeless in our community. The paper includes news, opinions, creative writing, profiles of local service agencies and resources.
In March 2007, Street Sights was revived by a small group of homeless individuals, students and community members. We began with five staff members who printed 50 copies of a small newsletter. We now distribute for free 3,000 copies of our 16-page paper to shelters, soup kitchens, community centers, and libraries, city halls, coffee shops and media sites across the state.
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PBN: What kind of articles are in Street Sights?
OCHS: In our September issue, a reader would find a letter from one of the founders of the tent cities telling her side of the story, creative writing by homeless and formerly homeless individuals, spotlights on social service agencies in Rhode Island, and obituaries of individuals within the homeless community and leaders such as the late Rep. Thomas Slater (D-Providence), who represented our cause.
In our opinions section, we included an editorial criticizing the state’s handling of Providence’s tent cities, opinion pieces from community members, an article about Hondurans’ fight for justice, and columns from representatives of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, the George Wiley Center, the Providence Center and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Rhode Island chapter (NAMI-RI).
There’s more, too, such as information about meal sites throughout the state, cartoons, word puzzles, a calendar.
PBN: Who works on Street Sights?
OCHS: We couldn’t have developed without the hard work and dedication of our 20 volunteer staff members. Our staff includes homeless and formerly homeless individuals, journalists, students and supportive community members.
PBN: What is the state of homelessness right now?
OCHS: Last year more than 6,000 individuals experienced homelessness in Rhode Island; children make up a quarter of the homeless population in our state. It is not a good sign if it is still the summer and shelters are filling up. We need a plan in place to ensure that everyone has a safe place to go this winter – and the answer is not providing temporary shelter. Providing affordable housing and supportive services is the way to end chronic homelessness.
PBN: What can a newspaper do to help end homelessness?
OCHS: Homelessness cannot be solved if we do not communicate with our allies and the power-holders in our communities. Street papers meet this need by giving a voice to the underserved and encouraging a dialogue about issues in our state. At Street Sights, we aim to create a paper that serves as a platform for the disempowered to voice their concerns.
OCHS: Individuals, organizations and businesses subscribe to the paper on a yearly basis or sponsor the paper. We also apply for grants from private and corporate foundations and receive in-kind support, especially from our fiscal sponsor, the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless. … We are now starting a business-sponsorship program, where for-profit companies can give back to the community. It is our dream to be able to provide stipends for our volunteer staff.
This fall and winter we will be selling calendars at bookstores throughout the state. This calendar will include pictures and poetry by homeless or formerly homeless.
PBN: What new programs are you initiating at Street Sights?
OCHS: We just finished our first-ever, four-day journalism training program. Journalists from around the state led our staff in workshops that ranged in topic from “A Day in the Life of a Newsroom” to “Unbiased Reporting.” We plan to host another training this year.
PBN: How are Street Sights staff members affected by being on staff?
OCHS: We hold meetings twice a week and on average 15 staff members attend each meeting. We aim to create a safe and supportive community. Staff members take on leadership roles, receive job training, work as a group, develop interviewing and writing skills, and serve as resources for the entire community.
While on staff, several staff members have found employment and have moved from shelter into housing. Personally, I have seen a number of formerly homeless staff members informally serve as mentors to homeless staff. •
INTERVIEW
Elizabeth Ochs
POSITION: Coordinating editor, Street Sights newspaper, and coordinator of the legal clinic for the homeless at the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless
BACKGROUND: She founded the most recent version of Street Sights more than two years ago and has been coordinating editor ever since. She previously was an educator in youth urban agriculture programs in Providence and in Portland, Ore., coordinator of the Bureau of Jewish Education high school and a Thai massage practitioner in Charlottesville, Va.
EDUCATION: B.A. in urban studies, December 2007, Brown University
FIRST JOB: Baby-sitting and serving customers at a coffee shop
RESIDENCE:
Providence
AGE: 25
