The Australian edition of the Big Issue released its 25th birthday special edition on Friday. For a quarter of a century the not-for-profit magazine has provided work opportunities for those experiencing disadvantage and homelessness.
Marcus first started selling the Big Issue in June 1997 at the age of 24.
“Up until that point I was going nowhere,” he said. Searching for work in Melbourne, but unable to find any, he said the magazine “saved my life, it gave me a reason to exist”.
Marcus, now 48, said the Big Issue has “literally been half my life”.
He said the first week of the job was very hard but he soon built a base of regular customers. His first regular was a woman who owned a pug. “It got to the point that the puppy dog used to pull her over to me.”
Marcus said the money was important but his favourite part of the job was the interaction with his customers and the chance to meet different people. A highlight for Marcus was meeting the Dalai Lama, who stopped, said hello and gave him a blessing.
Marcus has bipolar disorder and said the routine the work offered him was crucial. During the enforced break during Covid last year, “not having routine and structure that I thrive on was the hardest thing”.
Marcus has developed his own methods in the job. He always makes eye contact, says hello and most importantly, reads the magazine cover to cover. As he puts it: “A good salesman has to know his product.”
Marcus said he was proud to see how the Big Issue had evolved over 25 years. During that time, he has seen the layout and the writing improve.
“The magazine looks really professional, really smart, something you’d buy in the newsagent but you’ve got to buy it off us.”
Steven Persson, the chief executive of the Big Issue, said the publication was “very proud to have published over 600 issues, sold 13m copies, supported 7,000 vendors on the street and assisted people to earn over $32m dollars.”
“The aim of the Big Issue simply is to provide people with the opportunity to work their way out of poverty,” he said.
There are many vendors like Marcus who have been with the Big Issue for many years and “see this as their career”. “They run their small business with their customer base who they sell to and relate to every fortnight,” Persson said.
Persson said “within the Big Issue, being a vendor is one of the proudest things we can offer” but there were also other opportunities the organisation offered, including contributing to the magazine.
Garyhas been selling his issue on Kent Street in the Sydney CBD since 2014. The 25th birthday special edition marks the third time he has appeared in the magazine, after having his own profile published then appearing in conversation with one of his customers.
Persson believes it is the organisation’s responsibility not just to continue to improve the Big Issue as a magazine, but to expand and deliver more programs to people on the margins.
The organisation also runs a women’s subscription enterprise which allows women who feel less secure selling the issue on the street to package subscriptions. They also have a community street soccer program and education workshops where vendors share their stories with schools and corporate groups.
Homes for Homes, which aims to help overcome the lack of affordable social housing is “one of the most ambitious initiatives we’ve taken”, Persson said.
The program provides a voluntary opportunity for people who sell their house to donate a 10th of 1% of the selling price, which the organisation collects and disperses to community housing associations. Persson said the program was seven years into its 30-year model and was “on track to raise somewhere close to $1bn”.
Like the model of vendors selling the Big Issue, Persson said the Homes for Homes program was similarly “providing an opportunity for whole of community to make a contribution to those who find themselves on the margins”.
