Big Issue, The

British magazine, published weekly, founded in 1991 to give homeless people the chance to earn income as vendors. It also campaigns on behalf of the homeless, but covers a range of social issues. The Big Issue Foundation is a separate charity supported financially by the magazine.

The Big Issue vendors buy the magazine at a fixed price and sell it on the streets for a fixed cover price, making a profit. They must have proved themselves homeless or ‘vulnerably accommodated’. The magazine is published in five regional editions, including editions for Scotland and Wales.