PM wishes TBI a very happy birthday!

Thursday 17th of September 2009

This week marks 18 years since The Big Issue’s launch in September 1991, and to mark the occasion a group of Big Issue vendors, along with the organisation's Founder, John Bird, today met with the Prime Minister at Downing Street.  

Created to offer homeless people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, The Big Issue has gone on to become one of the most instantly recognisable brands in the UK and a blueprint for social change. 

However in addition to being cause for celebration the 18th anniversary comes at a time when the organisation faces some of its biggest challenges to date. Born out of a recession in 1991 The Big Issue is coming of age at a time when unemployment figures are at a 14 year high and huge numbers of people remain at risk of homelessness as a result of repossession.

The delegation took the opportunity to raise these issues at today's meeting, and called on Gordon Brown to implement a homelessness prevention strategy, including a temporary moratorium on repossessions.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that a great many challenges lie ahead but also praised The Big Issue for all it has achieved over the past 18 years;

“What was different about the Big Issue was that it wasn't about charity. People bought the magazine because they found it interesting and challenging, and today it is read by hundreds of thousands of people every week.

“So we look back with pride at all that the Big Issue has achieved, but we also look forward to the work that still needs to be done to improve the lives of those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.”

Eighteen years on and The Big Issue has given pride to the dispossessed and changed the face of homelessness, but we have failed to eradicate the problem. And only when that job is done will we pack up and go home.

In the eighteen years since its launch TBI has helped tens of thousands of people to take control of their lives, it has challenged and shaped public perceptions of homelessness, and continues to successfully champion a variety of causes via the pages of the magazine. The Big Issue has become both a media phenomenon and one of the world’s leading social enterprises, with versions of the magazine published in Australia, Japan, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi & Namibia, and plans afoot to launch in India and Pakistan next year.