Seven Real Change vendors stand outside Ballard businesses every day selling newspapers to those who walk by.
Not everyone knows what the non-profit newspaper is or how it has changed the lives of its vendors. Tonight is the premiere screening of the Real Change documentary called “Turning Points,” which introduces viewers to eight homeless and previously homeless people.
“Whether its the strength of a relationship, the experience of war, or the salvation in finding community, each story illuminates the intense human ability to persevere against all odds,” Tamara emailed us. The screening is tonight at Trinity United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Organizers are asking people to bring winter gear donations. Real Change vendors will also be selling the 40 minute DVD during the month of December. Here is a map of where Real Change vendors are located.
Is that the guy that sells outside of the post office?
A “real change” would be for these shit bags to get “real jobs” and stop relentlessly pestering people to buy their poorly written rag.
“real jobs” ? – when the unemployment rolls are full of people with marketable skillsets, established work histories and small luxuries like appropriate interview clothes?
Real Change is aptly named because that's exactly what these folks are trying to accomplish. The program holds them to a level of personal accountability that in and of itself may be a real change for some of these individuals.
Real Change newspaper vs. buddy you got any spare change…
John – you hiring? Got “real jobs” ?
If they sold the Economist or WSJ I might be interested. At least those publications would give these gentlemen the actual tools needed to succeed. I give them a buck and refuse to take the paper, I can't read Real Change without gagging.
Did they speak with the gentleman outside of Trader Joes. The guy with a bottle of Cisco stashed in the Stranger newspaper box.
And, out come the haters. Merry Christmas everyone!
Agreed. Hopefully the recent weather has driven them south for the winter. I've watched these guys buy drugs, drink, and fight in the street. I doubt they are homeless by some unfortunate turn of the economy.
Well, I for one am interested in seeing this film. I've had a lot of good experiences with Real Change vendors over the years.
Comments are being removed, too bad such negativity had to emerge.
Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all!
“Real Change” is just a bunch of whiney white-liberal-guilt Commie/Socialist BS. The very philosophies promoted by “Real Change” create homelessness and welfare state dependency.
“Real Change” is just a bunch of whiney white-liberal-guilt Commie/Socialist BS. The very philosophies promoted by “Real Change” create homelessness and welfare state dependency.
Love the screen name John Cocktostin!
If for nothing else, I read Real Change for the challenging crossword.
Of course there are going to be one or two exceptions, any group has it's exceptions, but the vendors I've bought from have all been friendly.
Oh, and for those saying they should get a 'real job.' I have skills and an interview wardrobe and I can't even find one of those.
I buy from Curt on the corner outside of Lombardi's. He is out there every morning, rain or shine, even when he is not feeling well, unless he sells out. I know people who have “real jobs” that aren't as consistent as him. He is never rude or pushy. If I can't afford the paper he never makes me feel guilty but just smiles and says hi. I will continue to support him and am giving him a Starbucks gift card for the holidays.
There is a difference between haters and those opposed to offering up Ballard as an informal homeless camp for Seattle. While I am sympathetic to those in need, we are far too permissive of agressive/recreational homelessness in this city. I believe those working for a better life are few and far between. I am tired of seeing Ballard decend into becoming a RV park for the homeless. I think many Ballard homeowners would agree.
Even with my opinion, I am excited to see this film. Viewing all sides of the story may help us come together. Homelessness is a serious issue, but we are not managing it correctly for our city, neighborhood, spouses or children.
And, because of your continued support, Curt and his community will continue to canvas (for Real Change or themselves) on the corner of 22nd and Market. A yearly Starbucks gift card does not make you a decent person or him any less homeless.
Nora if you are not there already, get thee to the OPM website immediately. Google usajobs. The feds are the ONLY people hiring in Seattle right now. Most agencies are easily assessable by bus and you get a free bus pass! I have lived through more than one recession and this is the worst I have ever seen the job market. No one even hired much Christmas help. There are no more stupid civil service test and all that other crap required today. The one thing you do need is patience however. I applied for 8 months, to every job for which I remotely qualified. I was hired at my first interview. I am old and have no degree and my best experience was 10 years old. That’s three strikes against me and I still did it. Do not be intimidated by their convoluted way with job descriptions and qualifications.
There are two announcements right now I bet you qualify for. Both at Sand Point, Accounting techs. The boss is a drinker and a party animal.
Thanks. I suppose that at least some of the comments above are somewhat uninformed. How are down on their luck people going to change if there are not legitimate means to turn their lives around? Each of the vendors buys the papers from Real Change, and then they retail them to individual buyers. They are doing what they can to eke out a meager living (and believe me it is pretty meager). I work 3 days a week in the U-District and the woman I buy my copy from is 61 years old, clean, sober, disabled, and very honest. One day, I only had a five, but I wanted to buy the paper, she didn't have change yet that day. She initially offered to give me the paper, but I insisted she take the five. The next week as I was walking up to greet her fully expecting to pay a dollar, she remembered me and pulled out four one dollar bills from her coat sleeve, and insisted I take it. Some folks are rude and abusive to RC vendors (I've seen them spat on, yelled at, and once kicked). What gives? Why can't we be civil?
zorg, it's clear you have a big heart, it's just in the wrong place.
I have more respect for RC Vendors, most with no warm bed, running water, some with out enough to eat–who are up before dawn, down to the RC office to purchase their papers, and out on the corners to sell in ALL weather–than I do for any spoiled and connected trust-fund frat boy who's had everything handed to him and is sitting in his windowed corner office doing nothing but collecting a six-figure check.
Real Change is the voice of the homeless, a means of understanding from another point of view rarely covered by mainstream media. Artwork and poetry, writing by people who are marginalized and go largely unheard. They raise awareness of issues too easily swept under the rug. RC vendors are business men and women, entrepreneurs selling a product of value for meager reward. Not looking for a hand out, but offering something honest and real (how rare is that?) for a dollar.
Alysse, I've had the same experience many times over the years, when I didn't have change. I've learned many of the vendors names, too. Isaac and Terry, who sell at different times in front of Bartell's have both remembered (when I'd forgotten myself) my “change” for days. Another time, when I was rushing to work downtown (when I still had a job!) I accidentally gave a vendor a $20 instead of a $1. I didn't even notice at the time and didn't see the vendor for a couple of weeks. The next time I saw her, she remembered, and offered to give me the $19! That's a lot of money, when you have so little. I didn't take it, but every time I passed her after that, she offered me a paper. I respect that kind of honesty and kindness.
I'm looking forward to the premier tonight. Hope to see some of you there.
~MW
I worked in the HR division at NOAA/Sand Point for 18+ years and know a lot of the folks there if you need some help getting through the process, etc. The chief of the Financial Management Division does not fit your description so I wonder who this party animal is.
NOAA is a wonderful place to work – I wish you luck in your search.
“Real change” would be some of these people doing something else if they can't find “real jobs” then. The fellow outside Bartells has been standing there at that same spot now for 3 years or so. What positive has he done? Same goes for the guy at Crown Hill Safeway, the one that just got out of re-hab for cocaine abuse. He can certainly talk a mean game but has done nothing postive for himself. Do they ever put anything INTO the pot at all? All of this hoax and change is just so wonderful. Got hammocks? Oh, and Merry Christmas
You should do a little research before your stereotypical judgments, sdrake. If you're not afraid of discovering the truth, or starting a dialog, seeing and speaking to the RC vendors for yourself, come to the showing tonight at 7:00. It's free, it's warm–you can even get a free cup of coffee. Talk to the people who made the film. Talk to the Real Change vendors. Ask your questions. See for yourself, if you're not afraid to look.
~MW
“entrepreneurs selling a product of value for meager reward”
Actually, it's a meagre product for meagre reward. RC 'reporting' just feeds their victim and entitlement mentality; I would love once to read a story in RC that started:
“I did this to myself….hic!”
Give them the WSJ, FT or Economist to sell, they might actually learn something..
I'll try them. Government employment sites were some of the first I tried. At my old job, our department handled the Government shipments so I knew the alphabet agencies pretty well and what they expect from people who work for them.
My main challenge is I'm reception / desk jockey. There are three thousand just like me in line for the same jobs.
I'm a little familiar with NOAA. They were one of our accounts. Good folks, great website.
I'm sure many unemployed folks are willing to jump through as many hoops as they need to right now. It's just a matter of standing out in a crowd of thousands.
Buying Real Change makes him a little less homeless.
Which proves you've never actually read the paper cover to cover.
I've bought papers from Real Change vendors for years and have never seen any of them drinking, drugging, or fighting. Ballard and Ballard wanabees coming out of our bars at night, however…..
Nora you need to stop thinking in receptionist type terms and start thinking in communication expert terms. Can you type 40 wpm? Look for series 0303 and 0326. Do you have a background in records management? That’s sometimes called filing. : ) See what I mean?
If you register and enter a resume and profile at USA JOBS you can also set up a regular search that will email you with any jobs for which you might qualify. You will get an email each morning listing jobs for which you can apply.
Of course there are many in line also, there always are, but if you can learn to navigate the mess the feds call a system you have a leg up. Everything goes through USAJOBS but there will be some agencies that require you use their systems also. You HAVE to start with USAJOBS. According to the general perception out there feds are all idiots so surely you can do better right?
Who gets hired totally depends on the connection you make with the hiring official. That is the luck of the draw really and has little to do with logic or qualifications. I once spent an entire interview talking gardening with a paralegal and got a job. I got my first fed job because the hiring official was from the same small town in WA as me. As an older woman I knew that if I entered an interview and there sat anyone under 35 I might as well walk back out. If they ask moronic questions like “where do you want to be in 5 years” or ‘what are your weaknesses” you know you are smarter than they are and so do they. Write them off or have idiot pat answers you read in books. The key is to get as many interviews as you can so you find that connection. It’s quantity not quality in the job market today. Sad but true.
Norabell, you're unemployed based on other posts. Have you considered selling Real Change? Why not?
Lots of idle time spent blogging instead of helping the cause you're so dedicated to.