It has certainly been an exciting 5 months creating The Menschen. I first got this idea while seeing this business model in another state. I instantly thought it needed to come to Pittsburgh. That was a few years ago, and those close to me know I talked about it often for years. But I was finishing up my degree and really didnt have time to start a company.
As soon as I graduated, I wanted to put my knowledge to use. In school, I studied multimedia, and focused on graphic design, journalism, web writing, and social media management. I felt this was the perfect avenue to apply everything I had learned, while combining it with my lifelong interest in helping the homeless population.
Fast forward to February, 2026, I launched our Gofundme and began begging others to see my vision. We had such an incredible community come out and offer their hard-earned money to help make this work. Even the smallest donations meant the world to me. It was so encouraging, and I felt like… wow. This thing could really work. Even more so was the outpouring of shared links on social media by friends and family helping to get the word out.
Admittedly, like most new businesses, it was a rocky start. My very first meeting with a shelter involved being directly told that this won’t work. I went to my car, cried a bit, but then… I decided to use that to make sure that one day, this person was wrong. I began meeting with multiple shelters after, both digitally and in person, with a few no’s and a few maybe’s.. and then finally, a yes.
I went out for my first recruitment meeting with Northside Common Ministries, where I made a $7 sign at CVS, bought a folding chair and tiny table, and set up outside of their drop-in pantry. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being pushy, so I just sat back- prepared to answer questions. Slowly, people started approaching. Interested in the idea, they filled out information pages telling me about themselves, their living situations, and what they’d like to write about.
I got to meet some of the most exceptional people. I wanted to make sure that this publication wasn’t exploitative. I didnt want to say ‘tell me about your struggles’. I just wanted writers to have a voice for whatever they want to talk about. However, I ended up learning that the vast majority of applicants wanted to share their experience with homelessness and personal stories. I got to know everybody one-on-one, and heard some beautiful, heartbreaking, and exciting life stories. I met teachers, lawyers, mothers, fathers, college students, full-time employees, and actual writers- all displaced due to one reason or another in a world where it can be very difficult to get back on your feet.
East End Cooperative Ministries has some of the most incredible staff I’ve ever met. They truly went above and beyond- starting with asking me to make a flyer, printing it out, hanging it in their facilities, and speaking directly to others. By the time I came for my recruitment meeting, they had a space for me to set up my booth, with some applications already filled out. Many others expected my arrival and were excited to talk about the project. I ended up getting 7 of my writers from this one organization alone, thanks to their extreme kindness. I’ll always remember them as the first place I feel truly believed in me wholeheartedly.
The Pittsburgh Pride Parade was quickly approaching, so I decided to get The Menschen a spot. The Pride festival is known to attract over 300,000 people. I reached out to friends asking who could volunteer in the parade with me, and 8 of my friends offered. I made a 14-foot banner with our logo and QR to the website, and I spent the next week hand-assembling 1,000 baggies filled with candy and a business card explaining that we are solely raising money through crowd-sharing right now, and a QR code to the Gofundme. I think I developed carpal tunnel by the end, but even still, 1,000 baggies went extremely quickly in a parade. Unfortunately, we did not get a ton of donations from the parade. However, our website generated a lot of traffic, so the exposure was there. I can never thank my volunteers- Alec, Mike, Terri, LQ, Bruce, Lara, Reilly, and Julia- enough, for walking a mile in a 90 degree wind storm and handing out baggies with me.
In May, I am contacted by a writer with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about an article on The Menschen. I do a phone interview with him and tell him all about the idea, how I got started, where we’re headed, and about myself. He also connects with one of my writers for an interview, and even contacts my father to ask questions about my interest in helping homeless people while growing up, as I volunteered from age 7 to 18. We are really excited to see that article go live, and are so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share our story in an iconic Pittsburgh publication.
I begin requesting meetings with the founders of other homeless publications across the USA to pick their brain. I end up having meetings with multiple papers, and ask questions and for advice about getting started such as finances, code of conduct, safety, topics, and general tips. Street Sense Media in DC, The Challenger in Texas, and The Contributor in Tennessee were especially kind and helpful.
I hire a volunteer software developer who works hard to create a website. Then, we transfer over to a different platform and I take over creating. Although I studied media, I didnt focus much on website building or coding. With my software engineer on call for snags, I slowly begin teaching myself how to build The Menschen website how I want it to look. This is tedious and incredibly frustrating, but eventually, I really latch on to the process and really seem to find a (small) knack for it. Tin has been exceptionally helpful in making the digital side of things beautiful and is really dedicated to the cause behind The Menschen.
Although I like giving others an outlet to express themselves, I am an artist, and I know I won’t work for free, so neither should our writers. Money is important here. So the question of funding came up- how do we make this work so we can pay our writers monthly? We have about $2k from crowdfunding, but that can go quickly with the costs of starting a business. I decided I needed to hire grant writers. I posted an ad on Indeed for a volunteer grant writing position for a non-profit initiative, and the applications started flooding in! I paused the ad after one day while I reviewed 18 applicants. Two wonderful ladies really caught my eye, as they went above and beyond to start researching before I even hired them. Jeanette and Aisha have been absolutely wonderful staff- they are both so dedicated to the cause and passionate about what they do. They’re incredibly organized- they have a meeting once a week to discuss options, and are always updating spreadsheets galore. They work together well, always looking for donations and grants for the company. While non-profit pending, finding money is tough. But they are diligent regardless and I can’t wait to see what they are able to accomplish once we do get approved. It’s so wonderful to know there are still kind people out there. People like Aisha and Jeanette give me so much faith in humanity.
I spend weeks collecting the names, numbers, and titles of staff at every shelter, kitchen and program in Pittsburgh and compile a daily list of calls for two of my staff to make to try to pitch to shelters a collaboration where I can help bring arts and money to some of their guests. My two volunteer salesmen are wonderful- they put out all of the initial calls to the shelters, and I handle it from there if they’re interested and would like to set up a meeting. Mike takes on the position of editorial advisor, as he has a lengthy background in selling ad space for newspapers. This coming week, I am interviewing volunteer applicants for a social media coordination position with the company, and we will begin reaching out to businesses who would like to be featured in September’s issue.
In total from only a couple of shelters, I had 15 applications for writers. I had continued interest from 10 of them, and received articles from 7. I wrote down what categories of article each writer expressed interest in writing, and assigned topics based on their responses. The specs were simple; 450-1000 words, in your own voice, don’t worry about spelling or grammar, deadline in a month. The writers got to work right away.
Periodically throughout the month, I sent reminder texts and emails about deadlines and offering any editorial help that I could. A few writers asked for guidance and we collaborated together to make a solid article.
I also make business cards with information on writing for the paper, attach them to single dollar bills, and hand them out when coming across somebody requesting a donation on the street.
Here we are, 5 months later. Non-profit pending, trying to pair with shelters to recruit writers, finding businesses for ad space, and the first issue goes up. Our writers are so excited to see their work live on the website and many are excited for next month as well. I am hoping that these first free 3 issues generate enough readership, with the help of our new social media coordinator, to one day reach our end goal of printing a physical newspaper.
The extended business model for The Menschen involves printing a paper, where any homeless person can begin with a free 10-paper starter kit and vendor badge/sign, and sell the paper in person for cash. The vendor will collect the payment, come back to us, purchase more papers at printing cost, sell for a profit- and that cycle continues, helping to create a more permanent income stream for them. This dream may be years away still, but its where we really want to be.
As the company progresses, I will continue writing articles monthly with updates on where we are. This has been such a massive project that I started with no real experience or idea of where to go- but a dream and a lot of tenacity. I work on The Menschen full time, but I couldn’t do it without the help of my amazing 7 volunteer staff members who believe in the idea and dedicate their time. An additional shoutout to my wonderful partner, who has been taking care of our family life while I make this dream a reality.
I am dedicated to making The Menschen work. I refuse to give up. Stay tuned- big things are coming.