By
The Associated Press
TUCSON - The first edition of a newspaper for the homeless will hit Tucson streets today.
Kevin Reil, who once published a small military newspaper in Oklahoma, is publisher of City Life News, a 24-page tabloid that will contain commentary, profiles, poetry and advice.
Reil, homeless himself, pasted up the paper with scissors and glue sticks inside a small rental storage unit. His office is nothing but a plank of wood resting on two milk crates.
"A lot of people didn't believe this could be done," Reil said.
He's backed by the Casa Maria soup kitchen and Primavera Services, an agency that runs a shelter and other programs for the homeless. They provided about $2,000 to cover the cost of the first edition.
"We think the newspaper will provide visibility and a voice for homeless people in the community," said Primavera Executive Director Karin Uhlich.
The newspaper will be coming out on the same day that the city begins enforcing an ordinance banning newspaper hawkers and others from street medians. The council said it was a necessary safety action, but some anti-poverty activists saw it as a way to keep the homeless out of sight.
Reil said the new paper will try to dispel some of the myths about homelessness, such as that homeless people are lazy, uneducated or "just a bunch of drunks and drug addicts."
He said many he has met are much like himself, former workers and taxpayers who ended up on the streets because of divorce, illness or other life problems.
Reil said he became homeless after a 1996 auto accident that shattered his pelvis. He said he moved to Tucson 18 months ago because the dry weather eases his pain.
The paper also will have articles aimed at Tucson residents explaining what life is like for people on the streets, Reil said.
For now, the paper will be given away at homeless agencies and some businesses, but Reil hopes to sell ads and subscriptions to support the paper in the future.
