Street Roots vendors

Street Roots provides an opportunity for people experiencing homelessness and poverty to earn an income by selling the newspaper.

People walk in off the streets, go through orientation, and begin selling the weekly newspaper. Ten complementary papers launch their efforts, and then they purchase each paper for a quarter that they sell for $1, keeping all profits and tips. Street Roots works with more than 800 vendors annuallly, and about 75 percent of vendors are unhoused. Our commitment to getting money into people's pockets is straightforward: Income is an antidote to poverty. There are too many barriers to housing and employment, and we are committed to supporting people aspire to their best futures.

Vendors are central to Street Roots. All our work at Street Roots is connected to a larger sense of community for people who are disenfranchised from power and societal belonging. Vendors form community with each other as well as staff and volunteers at Street Roots, coming to the office for morning coffee, poetry groups, and conversation. They also form relationships with customers, often across socio-economic divides. Through our work and our engagement with each other, we are stronger together, lifting each other up – and for 20 years, that's what Street Roots vendor program has brought to the Portland metro program area.

Tina Drake talks about the vendor program. Thank you to Leif's Auto Collision Center for producing this video.

Branching Out Subscription Service

Branching Out is a newspaper subscription and delivery service provided by Street Roots vendors. This service creates a more reliable form of weekly income for vendors. Interested in setting this up? Email Kodee Zarnke at kodee@streetroots.org to make arrangements.

What is it?

Typically, vendors buy papers from Street Roots for 25 cents and then sell them to individuals for $1. With Branching Out, vendors can sell papers to businesses, housing complexes, and anyone who can buy a minimum of 20 papers at $1 per copy on a recurring basis. The customer buys papers in bulk, directly from a vendor, to provide to their customers or residents for free.

What is my commitment?

To ensure a sustainable income option for our vendors, we ask that customers commit to purchasing at least 20 papers per delivery from their vendor. Deliveries can happen weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly. (Work out this schedule with your vendor.) We ask that you first commit to a month of deliveries. After a month, you can reassess your newspaper needs.

What assistance will Street Roots provide?

Street Roots can provide you with a 5" x 7” plexiglass display, explaining the service to your customers. We can also provide a newspaper holder, at your request. Once you become a subscriber, Street Roots will make a social media post to advertise your business as a Branching Out Subscriber.

If you’d like the 5 x 7” plexiglass display or a newspaper holder, please contact Carly Ng at carly@streetroots.org.

What do I need to do to start?

You can start today! Please fill out the Branching Out Subscription Agreement. You can fill out the Google Form at this link: https://forms.gle/5KeAQMgxTbmFj6mZ9 or scan the first QR code to the left to begin the agreement. A copy of your responses will be sent to your email for record

How should I pay my vendor?

You can purchase papers using cash or through Street Roots' Venmo. For Venmo, scan the second QR code to the left with your smartphone or find @StreetRoots on Venmo to start a payment. After you enter the payment amount, type in your vendor’s name, badge number and “Branching Out” in the “what’s it for?” section. Hit “Pay” then confirm the payment by hitting “Pay Street Roots” at the bottom of the screen. (You can skip the option to confirm with a phone number.)

Your Branching Out Street Roots Contacts

Kodee Zarnke, Community Partnerships Coordinator

For questions regarding subscription logistics or to find out more ways to support Street Roots, please contact our community partnerships coordinator Kodee Zarnke (she/they) at kodee@streetroots.org.

Carly Ng, Vendor Program Manager

For vendor communications, mediation support, and newspaper display materials, please contact our vendor program manager Carly Ng (she/they) at carly@streetroots.org