Big Issue finds home

Big Issue seller Robby makes a sale with Tina Tomassetti in the Ipswich CBD.

David Nielsen

IPSWICH was The Big Issue's first Queensland regional venture and it seems its move out of Brisbane will become a success story.

The "homeless" magazine has been sold in Ipswich for two-and-a-half months now, and reports show it is slowly but surely securing a place in the community.

Vendor Robby has been selling The Big Issue in Ipswich for a month, and said it saved him a trip to Brisbane to try to earn money selling the magazine there.

The Big Issue Queensland manager Cassandra Roland described the Ipswich venture's progress as "promising."

"It's been a slow start, but we've seen a bit of an increase in the last few weeks," Ms Roland said.

"The last magazine has been a turning point, it has picked up sales and I hope the community support continues."

Ms Roland said establishing the Ipswich market would take time.

She said it was a matter of building positive relationships between vendors and the community.

"In terms of sales and community support, people are getting to know the vendors and starting to approach them more."

Vendors are still restricted to selling from three specific sites in the CBD - the railway station, the Brisbane and Bell St intersection near ANZ, and the top of the Ipswich City Mall.

Ms Roland said the organisation had applied to sell at additional locations in the CBD district.

"As we expand and more vendors sign up to sell The Big Issue, we'll need more spots for them to sell from."

Ms Roland said the fate of the Ipswich venture would be decided by sales targets set for May.

"We've received funding so we have set targets for the six-month mark," Ms Roland said. "It's got to be averaging 150 sales a fortnight and our last fortnight's sales were 65."

"We're moving up though so we're optimistic about it."

She said some of the original eight vendors had left, but all who had left had been replaced by new faces eager to sell the magazine.

People interested in selling the magazine should call 3036 4420.

WHAT'S THE ISSUE?

The Big Issue is a fortnightly magazine sold by homeless vendors.

$2.50 of the $5 cover price goes direct to the vendor.

It's a general interest publication that includes sport, arts and entertainment stories.