Accessing ID for homeless

Many of Edmonton’s homeless people face the same stumbling block every day: how to get the support they need when they don’t possess valid identification. To access medical care, the Food Bank or rental accommodation, identification is a necessity.
A brochure recently introduced by the United Way and Boyle Street Community Services gives support workers a new step-by-step tool to guide them through the process of helping people get their ID.

“Identification is something you need to access any kind of help to move forward,” said Jenelle Thomas, I.D. storage co-ordinator for Boyle Street Community Services. “It’s something every case worker or social worker has been working toward, but it is difficult for people who don’t know their information.”

It’s almost, but not quite, a case of needing ID to get ID, she said. “Some of our parents don’t have their own identification to get their kids’ ID.”

As difficult as it is, the problem is not insurmountable. Thomas is just one among the many workers who are able to help. She says her first step is to advise her clients that the process can be pricey. She usually starts off by getting the Alberta Health card, because that one is free. “I start there because it’s important. If you already know your number, all you have to do is make a phone call.”

Next, she says, is the birth certificate and for that, you do need to know the first and last names at birth for both of your parents, and where they were born. All the provinces are different, she said, “For instance, in Ontario you need a guarantor. If you don’t know your parental information, it can be difficult. If you’ve been in foster care all your life, you might only know your mother’s first name. You might not know where she was born.”

Birth certificates are not free, with costs and requirements differing according to the province of birth.

With those two important pieces of ID, along with a piece of mail addressed to you, you can go into any registry office in Alberta and get a government identification card. It looks just like a driver’s license and has a photo on it. “That’s where places like Boyle Street, Bissell Centre and the Hope Mission or the John Howard Society can help. You can use mail that is addressed to you there.”

Then it becomes easier. Take your Alberta Health card, photo ID and birth certificate to Canada Place and you can purchase your SIN card. You also need four pieces of ID to get your treaty card now.

Once they have their ID in hand, said Thomas, “we strongly encourage our clients to store their ID here with us. We have video-surveillance, and are as secure as we can get.”

ID is stored free of charge, and for those clients in abusive situations, it can be mailed directly to the Boyle Street Community Services. “We have a lot of women in abusive situations who direct their mail here and access it here.