by Katie Patrick
There are things in life that we sometimes take for granted, like when we’re asked for our photo ID. Whether it’s when we are visiting a restricted, family-only room at the hospital, ordering a beer, or checking in for a flight, for most of us, without thinking much of it, we reach into our purse or wallet and pull out our ID.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible for some of our clients. Being homeless presents a number of obstacles. There are the obvious struggles of not always having a roof over your head at night or not knowing where breakfast, lunch, and dinner will come from. Being homeless, you weather the elements and the noise on the streets where you are sleeping, resting, or sitting.
You also lack preventive healthcare and in many cases are struggling with physical and mental health issues exacerbated by life on the street such as anxiety, depression, and isolation.
On top of this, theft is also a concern. At Catholic Social Services, we often offer blankets to the same clients multiple times throughout the year, and in some cases, multiple times throughout a month. This is because blankets, boots, coats, and other urgent seasonal items get stolen, oftentimes while that person is sleeping or stepping away from his or her encampment. To this end, we assist our homeless clients with securing their IDs that have been stolen alongside their green cards, social security cards, SNAP cards, Medicaid cards, and more. When you don’t have a mailing address or the financial means or the transportation or access to a computer, it can be really really difficult.
Another example is when women are experiencing domestic violence. On numerous occasions, we have accompanied clients both in Lincoln and in Hastings in securing birth certificates, green cards, driver's licenses, and much more. This is because either her abuser has destroyed documents as a way of controlling her, or because she is too frightened to return home to collect her documents and ID. When someone is going through a trauma like this, having our staff accompany and assist them in the paperwork is very much appreciated by our clients, and of course our staff is happy to help.
Substance abuse is another instance where clients might ask us for help in getting their documents back. In most cases, while they were under the influence, they lost their IDs and will need to apply for a new card. We make no judgments and do our best to help them gather the evidence such as a mailing address, income verification, or whatever else they might need to reapply.
While we are never short of work to do, we empathize each and every time with our clients and the frustration they feel that comes with not being able to present one’s ID. Imagine not being able to check in at the doctor’s office or not being able to buy food because your ID was either stolen, destroyed, or is lost!
We likely never have to worry about the issues above and often take these necessary, daily items for granted. Pray for all the ordinary little things that we may take for granted but that others struggle to maintain. Pray for God’s grace that even when they lack what they need, God will put them on a path to someone who will help them secure it. Hopefully, it leads them to CSS!
