The Big Issue is a
street newspaper founded by
John Bird and
Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. It is written by professional
journalists and sold by
homeless individuals.
The Big Issue is one of the UK's leading
social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of homelessness, the opportunity to earn a legitimate
income, thereby helping them to reintegrate into mainstream society. It is the world's most widely circulated street newspaper.