Have you read the book about Bob, the street cat? That is a very good account by a seller of the Big Issue of how being adopted by a stray cat changed his life around. He had someone besides himself to take care of, so was accepted into the Big Issue project - not easy, as he had to satisfy their criteria, and be motivated to succeed.
It is not begging. They have to order and buy the number of copies they think they will sell. They have to plan their work, and take the location that is allocated to them, and turn up regularly or they lose it. New starts get a difficult pitch, which weeds out those who think it is just begging and will not take any effort on their part.
Once they have supported themselves by selling the publication, they have something to use as a CV when applying for other work. They have proved that they can keep at something, appear to work as they said they would, and make a plan and stick to it, and keep back enough of their earnings to restock with the next issue.
I don't know how the Big Issue rates as a magazine - it has a lot in it about marginalised minorities, which probably does not appeal to everyone - but it is still a tangible thing to be sold, not a passport to a begging bowl.