Street Roots, the nonprofit organization and newspaper that’s best known for contracting with houseless people to sell weekly editions of its issues on local sidewalks, is asking for money amid what it explains is a budget crunch.

The organization says it’s looking to raise $288,000 by Sept. 30 as part of an “emergency fundraising campaign.” It’s already raised another $312,000 from private donors since June, Street Roots said.

Street Roots cited a number of factors that led to cash flow problems: moving into a new headquarters in Old Town late last year but not having the cash flow to cover operational costs; what the nonprofit called “optimistic hiring and program expansion decisions made without the financial infrastructure to support that growth”; inadequate grant and donor monies; a

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