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Streetwise vendor reaches for ‘hand up, not hand out’

Donald Morris was given a chance to get off the streets and end his struggle with chronic homelessness when he signed up to be a vendor for

Streetwise, a not-for-profit organization helping the homeless in Chicago get back on their feet.

Morris described Streetwise as being “a hand-up not a hand-out,” because profits made from the magazine sales are used by the vendors to pay rent, and buy food and clothes and necessities for survival.

“I’m doing the best I can out here with this magazine,” he said.

Morris starts his days at his morning spot and around two in the afternoon he moves locations. At the time these photos were shot, Morris’ evening spot was outside of the Trader Joe’s in Lincoln Park, but he has since changed locations.

View a slideshow of Morris at work.

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