An extraordinary number of our guests at Bread & Roses don't have any form of ID. A fair number can't hold onto an ID for more than a week even when they get one.

We have, on a number of occasions, actually failed to help a person get an ID. Birth certificate, social security card, and some form of photo ID are all common requirements for a state ID. To get a valid social security card, you have to have a state ID. In many states, to get a birth certificate you have to have a state ID.

To make matters worse, we occasionally see people who either don't know or are unable to communicate their own name.  Identifying these folks can be extremely difficult, particularly if they are from outside the state. 

Accessing mental health services REQUIRES a special kind of medical coupon called a "CNP" (Categorically Needy Program) coupon, which is difficult to get.  CNP coupons come with Social Security disability benefits, and with a state disability benefit known as GA-X (only available to those who are on track to obtain Soc. Sec. benefits).  The process to be approved for Soc. Sec. benefits can take years.  People are categorically denied benefits, and commonly only are approved for benefits after a long process of appeals.  The process for GA-X is faster, taking one to two months (IF the person has proper documentation, including valid state ID). 

To put all this into perspective, SSI (soc sec) benefits for people without a work history amount to about $560 per month, and GA-X pays $339 per month.  The many hoops, hurdles, and jumps often amount to effectively full-time work (not to mention the wherewithal to navigate the system), for months, even YEARS, to get disability benefits.  (Note: the GA-U/GA-X program comes with frequent re-evaluations, in which the client must prove their disability all over again... this actually requires fresh documentation - a doctor's visit from the last re-evaluation six months ago doesn't count.)

Now imagine a fellow who is too mentally ill to communicate their name.  Say he thinks he's Winston Churchill, and this is the only name he will give when you ask.  You don't know where he's from, nor do you know anything about his history in mental health services.  You can't contact family, because you don't know who they are.  Your job is to identify him, get him an ID, get him on GA-X, and then get him into mental health services (by the way, it can be two months from the first phone call before you can get someone on meds).  All along the way, you have to calm and cajole him because he's afraid the SS will track him down in the system and take him away to the Fuehrer.

Now, after one month of work, you have finally discovered his identity.  You still have to get him an ID, a medical coupon, and into mental health services.  Then you hear that the legislature has passed a bill strictly requiring proof of citizenship to access a medical coupon.  The Grand ol' Party wants to make sure that the people who put the food on our tables doesn't have access to our health care system.  But that's beside the point.  Your job has now gotten a lot harder.

Do you think you might be upset?  Welcome to the crowd.