The Cleveland Chronicle Vendor Contract 

  1. Every vendor of the Homeless Grapevine registers with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless and affirms the values of the paper by signing this contract.
  2. I understand that I am an independent contractor of the Homeless Grapevine. As an independent contractor, vendors are not employees of the Grapevine or of NEOCH.
  3. Every vendor must go through 1 hour of training before receiving a temporary license. At which time the vendor is on a 30 day trial/probation period.
  4. Every vendor must display his or her ID badge while selling the paper.
  5. After selling 300 Grapevines within the first 30 days the vendor can receive a permanent badge. The badges are property of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. If you do not sell 300 papers you must be retrained to be issued a new temporary badge.
  6. The Homeless Grapevine will be distributed for a $1 voluntary fee. I as a vendor agree not to ask for more than $1. Also, I understand that I will be able to keep 75 cents of each dollar collected. The Grapevine is purchased from NEOCH for 25 cents each.
  7. Those who sell over 300 papers per month will get their picture in the next published Grapevine.
  8. I will never distribute the Grapevine while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
  9. I will not vend the paper after 12 midnight.
  10. I will treat others with respect. I will not use abusive language or force someone to buy a paper. I will not give a ''hard sell'' or make someone feel threatened.
  11. I will not supply copies of the Homeless Grapevine to persons who are not registered distributors.
  12. I will not sell the paper near (within 10 feet) of an ATM machine, telephone, crosswalks, bus stops or in the doorway of a building.
  13. I will not deceive the public by saying that I am collecting for a not-for- profit charity or that I am collecting for the "homeless" in general. I will be honest in stating that all the profits form the sale of the Grapevine go to each vendor who distributes the paper. Avoid using the word "donation."
  14. I will not use the paper as a front for panhandling. Customers that give more than the cost of the paper will receive a paper.
  15. I will not sell the paper while selling any other items including but not limited to flowers, beads, candy, etc.
  16. I will not contest territories with other distributors. When a vendor begins selling, it is common courtesy to give that vendor the space. First come first serve for most territory in Cleveland.
  17. As of 7/19/99, the vendors adopted a policy that they could request to control certain territories in the community at certain times of the days. These locations are under the exclusive control of the vendor for the time period that they stated. If a vendor does not show up without calling on three consecutive days they lose this territory.
  18. There are special rules for selling at the West Side Market, which have been established by the vendors. Those who do not sell a minimum number of papers at the West Side Market are not eligible for bidding on the West Side Market for the next two weeks.
  19. The paper can only be sold on the public sidewalks (15 feet from public streets). This does not include parking lots, shopping centers, and other private property areas of Greater Cleveland. Suburban locations that have public sidewalks with some foot traffic are good places to sell.
  20. I understand that the Grapevine strives to be a self-supporting paper created by people who are homeless or formerly homeless. To help in this effort I agree to volunteer to assist in the production of each paper.
  21. I will attend monthly vendor meetings.
  22. Education in newspaper writing, production, and typing is available through NEOCH.
  23. Papers become the property of the vendor, and cannot be exchanged if they are damaged or are old.
  24. It is the responsibility of each vendor to police fellow vendors or former vendors. Report violators of the rules to NEOCH. The value of the paper depends on keeping it credible.
  25. At this time, the paper is constitutionally protected on the streets. Please report all negative encounters with the police to NEOCH immediately, and always get badge numbers of the police officers.
  26. I understand that any infraction of the above rules will result in suspension of my privilege to sell Grapevines, and possible termination from the program.
  27. An editorial board will govern the paper made up of vendors and volunteers. Any appeal of a suspension will be made to the vendors at the monthly vendor meeting. Any further appeal will be made to a special committee of the NEOCH Board.
  28. This paper belongs to the homeless/ low income in Cleveland. The purpose is to get the voices of the disenfranchised into the media. We encourage every vendor to write for the paper.