“Flipping the Scripts” of Poverty and Panhandling: Organizing Democracy by Creating Connections

Abstract

This study relies on participant observation and in-depth interviews to explore how StreetWise, an organization with a newspaper by the same name, mobilizes symbolic and material support for people without homes or those at risk. Pragmatism is used to understand how StreetWise ameliorates the experience of homelessness by building community. In stark contrast to forces that erase “the homeless” from the public scene, StreetWise integrates people without homes, as vendors, into community life by providing employment and raising awareness about poverty-related issues. Through its structure, mission, and business plan StreetWise encourages an engaged citizenry and enhances civic discourses. StreetWise provides scholars with a context within which to understand the reflexive and interactive organization–society relationships that strive to support a democratic way of life.

Keywords:

• Democracy
• Community
• Organizing
• Homelessness
• Poverty
• Pragmatism

This study is based upon the first author's doctoral dissertation conducted under the direction of the second author

This study is based upon the first author's doctoral dissertation conducted under the direction of the second author

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editor, the reviewers, Dr Scott Titsworth, Dr Caryn Medved, and Dr Vince Waldron for their helpful comments in developing this essay.

Notes

This study is based upon the first author's doctoral dissertation conducted under the direction of the second author

1. Identifying the scope of homelessness is fraught with difficulty. Individuals move into and out of homeless states episodically and sometimes frequently. Whether or not doubled-up families or individuals in substance abuse centers, shelters, jails, or mental hospitals count as homeless functions to alter the nature of the problem and its enumeration. Thus, delineating the scope of the problem has proven difficult. Formal attempts to quantify the number of people without homes range from 250,000 to roughly 2 million depending on the source of information (see Blasi, 1990; Dail, 2001).

2. When referencing the organization, the text “StreetWise” appears (sans italics). When referencing the newspaper, “StreetWise” appears (italics). If instances reference both the organization and the newspaper, text appears sans italics.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David R. Novak

David R. Novak (PhD, Ohio University, 2006) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Clemson University

Lynn M. Harter

Lynn M. Harter (PhD, University of Nebraska-Lincoln) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University