After selling these, they buy further copies for 35p each to sell on the street for 80p. The 45p difference goes directly into their pockets. The vendors There is no restriction on who can sell The Big Issue in Scotland as long as they can provide proof of their homelessness. People selling the magazine range in age from 16 to 70. At present the majority of sellers are men under 35.
People become homeless for many reasons.
Research carried out in 1991 by a Regional Health Authority estimated that 1,100 mentally ill people were sleeping rough in London. Some people are forced to leave home because relationships have broken down completely or they have suffered abuse. Some people can no longer afford their mortgages and houses are repossessed. A couple may separate and one or both partners end up looking for a home. Redundancy and unemployment can precipitate homelessness.