A once-homeless entrepreneur taught Northwestern students on Thursday about the Chicago street newspaper that is restoring hope to the homeless.
Greg Pritchett described for students at University Hall the drug habit that led to his imprisonment and eventual redemption through StreetWise, a newspaper sold by homeless vendors trying to straighten their lives as legitimate businessmen and women.
“Homelessness does not have a face – it can happen to anyone,” Pritchett said.
Pritchett, who is no longer homeless nor an addict, was recently elected vendor representative on a reform platform. He has instituted grooming standards and mandatory meetings for vendors to help them move on with their lives.
The event was sponsored by Northwestern Community Development Corp as part of their Poverty Awareness Week program, which has included a clothing drive in the cafeterias and a Wednesday fund-raiser at Unicorn Cafe.
Weinberg junior Adam Ross said he wanted someone to speak on homelessness because the issue was important to the Evanston community.
“(Pritchett) will bring awareness to these issues that people might have misinterpretations about,” Ross said.
Pritchett stressed the importance of “keeping it real” and “empowering men and women through employment.”
“Don’t sell homelessness – sell the paper,” said Pritchett on his advice to the vendors. “It builds the self-esteem instead of waiting for a hand-out.”
Like a businessman pitching a sales plan, Pritchett said he wanted to change the StreetWise panhandler stereotype.
“It was very interesting, because I’ve been familiar with the paper, but I never knew the internal dynamics and the mission of StreetWise,” said Laurie Jaeckel, NCDC co-chair and Weinberg sophomore.
Pritchett served 90 days in solitary confinement during his time in prison for dealing drugs. It was during this time that he looked back on his life and realized he had to change. When he first came out of prison he tried to find employment, but his criminal record impeded his job search.
Homeless and struggling to kick a drug habit, Pritchett came to StreetWise in February 1999 and began to buy papers for 35 cents and sell them for $1. This 65-cent profit is how StreetWise provides jobs for the homeless as they peddle the newspaper throughout the Chicago area.
In past Spring Quarters, NCDC has held a “hunger banquet” to illustrate the effects of the poverty gap. Students would gather for a meal at two different tables, one with plenty of food and one with very little food.
“This year we wanted to do something new,” said Jessica Tai, NCDC co-chairwomen and an Education junior.
StreetWise, 1331 S. Michigan Ave., began eight years ago and is the largest street publication in the world with 375 registered vendors, Pritchett said. A second branch of the publication runs out of Washington, D.C.
“It’s a legitimate way for homeless people to make money, because when you’re homeless it’s pretty hopeless to find a job,” Ross said.
