Misconceptions aren’t a rare occurrence for those at risk of homelessness. In 2023, YouGov found that 32% of people think that ‘most homeless people have themselves to blame’. Organisations such as @bigissuenorth.bsky.social and INSP are fighting back: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Join us from 6pm on Thursday 17 February at The Social Hub, Glasgow for the launch of a new report that celebrates the impact of our Changing the Narrative Journalism Training Academy: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/insp-chang...

Holly Norris, 73, has lived unsheltered for more than a decade. Her story cuts through one of the most common myths about homelessness: that people living on the streets choose to be there. @denvervoice.bsky.social reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

On 17 February at 6pm at Glasgow's Social Hub, we will be launching a new report on the impact of our Changing the Narrative Journalism Training Academy, which worked with people with experience of homelessness and poverty. Join us: www.insp.ngo/articles/new...

The press has dubbed the residential complex at Groner Landstraße 9, 9a and 9b in Göttingen the “worst apartment building” in Germany. But people still live there, without heating, including vendors of Asphalt magazine: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Evan first experienced homelessness at the age of 17, when his family relationships broke down. This was exacerbated by anti-Roma racism. But, seven years on, he is living in supported accommodation and looking positively to the future: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Amie endured poverty, parental mental illness and divorce, but when she fell into depression, sewing helped her back out: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

In the late 2010s, Andrew lost his mum and sister to cancer in quick succession, followed by the deaths of three of his closest friends. Now, he advocates for more mental health support for men: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Today, the UK is relatively progressive on LGBTQ+ rights. But in Kenya, the law criminalises same sex acts: laws that were inherited from the British. Rose compares LGBTQ+ life in the two countries: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Steven looks back on his journey from institutionalisation as a teenager in 1977 to this year’s @bigissue.com cover competition winner: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Every year, the Gambian Bristol community organise a Gamou (a Muslim gathering) to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad Salalahu Alaihe Walsalam. Suna was in attendance: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

It’s not every day that someone finds their first job in their seventh decade. In the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad, Erszebet Vegse is usually found selling @liceulice.bsky.social magazine, or warming up with her first morning coffee: www.insp.ngo/articles/ven...

For 11 months, hundreds of thousands of people in Serbia have been protesting against the regime of Aleksandar Vučić. Their grievances are profound - and the people with the least are the most affected. Swiss street paper Surprise reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Most people understand that in the event of extreme weather, people living unsheltered on the streets are at risk. But many also experience dangers and traumas that are hard to imagine. @denvervoice.bsky.social reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

'On 18 January 2001, nine days after my 21st birthday, the wooden shack in which I was sleeping was set alight.' Janita-Marja Juvonen told German street paper Trott-war about the lasting impact of arson attacks on people experiencing homelessness: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Hungary’s child protection system is facing renewed scrutiny after a series of high-profile abuse scandals exposed deep, long-standing structural failures. How can a system built to protect children stop losing so many along the way? Fedél Nélkül reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Apropos vendor Bobi Onica moved from Pitești, Romania to Salzburg, Austria to create a better life for his children: www.insp.ngo/articles/ven...

Siegfried Saerberg heads the Hamburg Centre for Disability Studies, set for closure by the German Senate. He told Hamburg street paper @hinzundkunzt.de what barriers still need to be removed: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Edwin, 47, lives in Stuttgart and likes local street paper Trott-war: what it says, what it reports on, and who it gives a voice to. He explains the barriers that he faces to mainstream employment, and why he wants to become a vendor: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

The National Alliance to End Homelessness has filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Housing and Urban Development over what it claims are unlawful and politically motivated restrictions on federal housing grants. @streetsensedc.bsky.social reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/new...

This year, the International Network of Street Papers piloted the Changing the Narrative Journalism Training Academy in Glasgow, Scotland. INSP CEO @mediamike.bsky.social reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

"The Alcoholics Anonymous model was founded by Bill Wilson and Dr Bob Smith, but a little-known fact is that Wilson used belladonna treatment to get sober. The plant contains the psychoactive alkaloids atropine and scopolamine," writes James Stampfer: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

"My story also involves trauma from my childhood – I was always treated as the black sheep in my family. It’s about all the times that I spent scared, hurting, crying – wondering why it was all my fault": www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

"For Ama, falling in love with Kofi was like holding a candle. When it is aflame, it lights up the world around you, but then it starts melting and hurts you. In the end, it goes out and everything is dark, and all you are left with is your burns," writes Titi Chatty: www.insp.ngo/articles/new...

"My story has unfolded to allow myself a chance, a willingness not to be beaten for the rest of my life; to be open and accepting of things that show me how to grow; to move forward despite many mistakes and failures," writes Jordan Methven: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Staff with lived experience offer a better service to people experiencing homelessness, Robyn Woof argues. However, this kind of work can affect anyone’s mental health, and all workers, regardless of background, need to have their rights protected: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Scotland’s insufficient water storage infrastructure is largely down to plentiful supply, with rainfall pouring into lochs, rivers and reservoirs. But with demand growing steadily, upgrades will soon be required: www.insp.ngo/articles/new...

The UK’s population is forecast to rise from 69.6 million to 72.5 million by 2032, fuelling the housing crisis. But the government’s ambitious plan to build 300,000 new homes annually over the next five years carries a huge environmental impact and exacts a heavy toll: www.insp.ngo/articles/new...

'Imagine wearing your best outfit ready to go to a friend’s party, and from nowhere, a man shows up. This man, a complete stranger, spits on your feet and says, “What can you do about it?”' writes a fleeing woman: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

In recent times, the integration of “lived experience” into homelessness services has gained considerable traction, but a critical examination reveals a complex array of dangers and ethical dilemmas that can undermine the very services that they aim to improve: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

On 11 August, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to “remove” homeless encampments in DC. Now, a new executive order could change how the US responds to homelessness. Local street paper @streetsensedc.bsky.social reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/new...

With its mix of liberal attitudes and firm enforcement, Zurich is regarded as a model of drug policy. German street paper @hinzundkunzt.de spoke with Jonas Wenger of the Swiss Association for Addiction about challenges and what other countries can learn: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Writer and @litineraire.bsky.social vendor Agathe Melançon recently shared her love of words by leading a writing workshop for fellow street paper vendors, employees, and participants in professional integration programmes: www.insp.ngo/articles/str...

In the Swiss canton of Schwyz, rejected asylum seekers are locked out of the Kaltbach accommodation centre during the day, even if they are sick or it is snowing outside. But the residents are fighting back. Local street paper Surprise reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Each night, as most of Denver sleeps, @denvervoice.bsky.social vendor Halvin Jones wanders the streets, always moving: www.insp.ngo/articles/ven...

Radmila Slavujevic sells @liceulice.bsky.social in Novi Sad, the centre of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina. She says that being a street paper vendor helps her to live more decently, and she also enjoys the opportunity to be active and meet new people: www.insp.ngo/articles/ven...

Families living at DC’s last city-funded migrant shelter, Harbor Light Center, have been told that they must find somewhere else to go by the end of the summer, leaving many facing homelessness. Local street paper @streetsensedc.bsky.social reports: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

There has never been a more important time for journalists to cover homelessness. But telling these stories can feel daunting. That’s why the Homelessness Beat Reporters Collective created its Homelessness Reporting Guide - the first of its kind in the US: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

If you've not read my piece for the @theinsp.bsky.social and @mediamike.bsky.social on the Georgian Vagrancy Act, please do. It's about time Britain started leading the world in new, good ideas again. Best Paul Atherton FRSA @thersaorg.bsky.social

The Georgian Vagrancy Act, signed into law in 1824, effectively criminalises homelessness. It is set to be repealed by spring 2026 – but the damage is already done, says Paul Atherton: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Kenneth Henry is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop in Dallas, Texas, US, run by local street paper STREETZine. He spoke about his journey out of extreme depression and into housing: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Three people, who all have other jobs, sold Swiss street paper Surprise for a day. Here’s what they found out: www.insp.ngo/articles/str...

If everyone has the right to safe and secure housing in Australia, what do you do when you have no place left to go? The Big Issue Australia investigated what happens when rough sleeping becomes a crime – and asks if there’s a kinder way forward: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

One year ago, the US Supreme Court allowed cities to criminalise sleeping in public. On 22 April, homelessness advocates gathered outside the Capitol to call attention to what is now a worsening crisis. @streetsensedc.bsky.social reported from the ground: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

Franca Fischer works as an emergency care nurse in Stuttgart, Germany. She told local street paper Trott-war about supporting patients experiencing homelessness and poverty: www.insp.ngo/articles/liv...

We are now part way through our first workshops for the Changing the Narrative Journalism Training Academy, our skills training programme geared towards people with experience of homelessness and poverty. tinyurl.com/28n6skxw

Despite having jobs, more and more people in Switzerland are struggling to make ends meet. A married couple from Biel talk about their fears of social decline. www.insp.ngo/articles/str...

Great model 🙌🏼 Vancouver’s street paper @megaphonemagazine.com is largely written by our peer newsroom: The Shift! ✍️ #DTES #journalism @theinsp.bsky.social

Not every day your organisation gets mentioned in @theguardian.com ! Good profile for our colleagues in Brazil. Would love to see @theguardian.com do a feature on the breadth & diversity of street papers worldwide

Our members comprise over 90 street papers, like @bigissue.com, in 35 countries, who put £17.9 million in the pockets of vendors and reached 3.2 million readers last year. Learn more and find out how you can support our work to alleviate poverty: insp.ngo