Tributes for US street paper pioneer Raven Canon

Raven Canon was a woman who set out to change the world.

Although she had no home and was sleeping rough, she was so incensed by draconian new anti-homelessness laws in her hometown of Colorado Springs, USA, she set up a Big Issue-style street paper to give people on the margins visibility, a voice and a legitimate income.

A rough sleeper has set up the world’s newest street paper in response to a council's draconian 'anti-homeless' laws https://t.co/hk3mMDYEAI

— Big Issue (@BigIssue) January 23, 2017

The first issues of The Springs Echo went on sale in January, and Raven received international praise for her supreme efforts.

But last week the tragic news broke that Raven had passed away. After a night sleeping rough in sub-zero temperatures she was found dead, wrapped in a blanket.

Photo: INSP.org

A rising star in her community and editor-in-chief of the world’s newest street paper, Raven was at least the ninth person to die on Colorado Springs streets this winter, activists say.

Such tragedies have played out in Britain too. In the space of one month in December-January four rough sleepers were found dead on the streets. Homelessness charity Crisis estimates one in three young people seeking help with housing is turned away by councils in England.