The New Orleans Street Exchange is launching a street newspaper tomorrow. Listening in on this Twitter discussion and others like it, I'm interested in the ways homeless individuals use and engage with social media, and how that may help them succeed in becoming housed and on track.
@from_nothing the @nola_streets Twitter stream can be, it should be, an important source of real-time news/info for #homeless in New Orleans
— homeless (@nolahomeless) February 4, 2013
Obviously, as a journalist, I feel like news is important to a stable life. Knowing what goes on in the world at large makes me feel connected, part of a larger community. So I'm sure it helps people get back on their feet. I know that most street papers offer news specifically tailored to the homeless - job postings and such - and having an associated Twitter feed and website can only make that information more available to those who need it. The number of homeless individuals who have active Twitter feeds - like Boston native Gary - seems to be growing. I think that's promising.
@nolahomeless @nola_streets I hope it works, the focus IMO needs to be getting vendors into permanent housing. That to me will be the...
— Revolution MacInnes (@From_Nothing) February 4, 2013
@nolahomeless @nola_streets ...measure of success! New Orleans seems far from progressive so it's great to see this new venture underway.
— Revolution MacInnes (@From_Nothing) February 4, 2013
I think this caution is probably necessary, though. Emphasis on the primary needs of people living on the streets - food, shelter, healthcare - is definitely warranted; good journalism and community engagement come second to those basic requirements (see Maslow's hierarchy). In any case, I'm checking out a similar paper in Cambridge, called the Spare Change News, to see how the concept works.
-Alisa
-Alisa