Q. What’s the difference between the Pavement and The Big Issue?
A. We are written for the homeless and distributed to them for free. The Big Issue is a general interest publication that is sold on the streets by homeless and marginalised people.  That, and the Pavement has a largely volunteer staff.

Q. How do you distribute copies?
A. We distribute most copies through the larger day centres and other places that have a large number of homeless passing through their door – medical clinics, church rooms. (If your day centre doesn’t stock us, then get them to contact us). But, with a significant number of our readers not using these outlets, we are also asking some soup runs to hand out copies.

Q. Who writes for you?
A. Journalists and professionals from a large number of papers and organisations. Some work for small voluntary organisations and others for massive multinationals. There is no standard contributor; only that they have a professional knowledge of what they are writing about.

Q. How do you commission your cartoons?
A. We got their work in response to a request from the editorial team at Private Eye to all their regular contributors. Some are drawn for us, others are unpublished works, and others published pieces, but all from the top cartoonists in the country.

Q. Who funds the printing costs?
A. Contributions from companies and individuals. An entire issue costs us a few hundred pounds. If you’d like to sponsor an issue, contact the editor. We welcome funding from any company interested in social responsibility, especially London-based firms who come into contact with homelessness and are keen to contribute towards supporting London’s most vulnerable citizens.

Q. Are you trying to be a funny or a serious news medium?
A. Both. Everyone here strongly believes that just because our readers are homeless does not mean they have no sense of humour and no desire to be entertained. We are here to offer information, news and to stir up debate. But we’re also here to entertain. It’s a fine line to tread, and we may not get it right all the time. If you’ve got any issues with the way we talk to our readers or report the news, please contact the editor. We welcome feedback, good and bad.

Q. Where can I get a copy?
A. If you’re street homeless and use day centres or night centres, you should find one soon enough. If not, ask the people in charge to get in touch and we’ll deliver copies. If you’re not a user of day or night centres, you can download a pdf of the current issues.