Everyday, Gamel X stands at the Powell Street Muni station shouting to the crowds of rushing people with his sales pitch, "Get your Street Sheet and support the homeless for just one dollar."

Gamel, who wanted to give the last name "X" for personal reasons, is one of about 230 homeless and low-income vendors who take to the streets of San Francisco to sell Street Sheet, a newsletter produced by the Coalition on Homelessness.

"I would sell drugs if I didn't have Street Sheet," Gamel said. "It was sell Street Sheet or go commit a crime, but someone handed me Street Sheet."

Street Sheet started in 1987 when members of COH were tabling at a Phil Collins concert in Mountain View in order to raise money for the organization.

After the concert, there were extra copies of the coalition's newsletter and the idea for Street Sheet was born.

"We had extra newsletters and decided to have homeless people start passing them out and from there it grew to a tabloid," said Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness in San Francisco.

COH works to promote active participation of San Francisco homeless and low-income residents with projects like Street Sheet.

Street Sheet, which distributes about 32,000 copies every month, provides homeless people an alternative to panhandling by letting vendors keep 100 percent of the proceeds they make from distribution.

"Street Sheet creates an opportunity for poor people to earn more money than through general assistance," Friedenbach said. "It's an off-market job opportunity, without the need for a resume.

Vendors go to the Street Sheet office on Turk Street in the Tenderloin to receive training and sign up for distribution. Each person is given a maximum of 75 copies per day at no cost.

Street Sheet receives no government funding and is solely supported by readers. The economy has caused a decrease in the amount of funding.

"We're always short on resources to put it together, but we just plug through," Friedenbach said. "The economy has had an impact because it impacts the amount of money coming in and vendor sales."

The articles are generally written on a volunteer basis by about two to three COH staffers -- some who have personally experienced homelessness. But sometimes, homeless people also contribute content and each issue includes artwork and poetry.

Each month, Street Sheet publishes two editions that aim to give readers an alternative view on homelessness and address problems that homeless people in San Francisco are facing.

Street Sheet allows some vendors to pay for their own housing or gives them extra expenses, according to Friedenbach. Some vendors are funded completely through Street Sheet, she said.

Gamel has been selling the paper on and off for five years with about 30 copies in hand and making about $10 to $15 a day. He accepts spare change and sometimes hands out the paper for free.

"Rather than have a cup and beg, it's some kind of dignity and it's a good way to stay focused in society without having to go to shelters," Gamel said. "I've been able to get rooms with the money, it serves the purpose."

Ishmael Aziz-Pearson, 34, has been selling Street Sheet for over 10 years and makes about $2 to $4 a day.

"It's really tough to find people to donate, but it's not a financial interest for me, it's about helping people that are homeless find a better way of life," said Aziz-Pearson, who said he has been struggling since he was born because his parents died when he was a child.

Most of the time Aziz-Pearson will hand Street Sheet out for free because he wants to get the word out on homelessness and give people an alternative view on the subject.

"I thought people needed stories about stuff that's interesting, like the homeless issues going on," Aziz-Pearson said. "I hand them out and hopefully help people to read because it's very easy to read."