23 Nov 2023 4:13 am
One of the issues is that a large portion of homeless people have lost proof of identity, which means they are unable to access services and benefits that may help them. This is especially a problem for homeless veterans. If they cannot prove their identity; they cannot receive mental health services through the VA and local clinics. For some veterans, it is just having their wallet stolen after they became homeless.Cannonpointer » 22 Nov 2023, 8:31 pm » wrote: ↑ Homeless don't get welfare. Gotta have an address.
Or so I am informed. YRMV
My daughter's non-profit teams up with other non-profits and state agencies to have "identity" fairs to help the homeless to work through the system to regain proof of identity. She said a large portion of the people lacking IDs were veterans.
https://invisiblepeople.tv/without-id-i ... hemselves/
Without ID, It’s Hard for Homeless People to Prove Themselves
Without an ID issued by a local, state or federal agency, unhoused people can’t access public benefits or other services. When a person loses their ID with no replacement, they virtually disappear from society.The absence of ID can have the same impact as a natural disaster. If that last sentence sounds hyperbolic, I submit the case of Wendi Taylor of Houston, Texas. In the summer of 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded Taylor’s trailer park. During the evacuation, she lost the bag containing her documents when the National Guard boat capsized.
Two years later, Taylor is still unable to take the first step toward establishing her identity.
“My ID has not been replaced yet,” she said. “I’m stuck in a catch-22 of needing a photo ID to get a Social Security card and needing a Social Security card to get a photo ID.”
Under Texas law, Taylor would have to produce a combination of documents to get an ID. That includes her driver’s license or ID, her date of birth, the last four digits of her Social Security number and the audit number of her most recent state-issued ID.