Why ID? Yet Another Barrier to Vulnerable Families

I’ve gained a huge amount of knowledge in my time here at Bread for the City, and I am so grateful for that knowledge. However, there have been some things that I’ve learned that I’m not so glad to know.

Last week, I talked to a client who had been denied access to the Virginia Williams Family Resource Center, which is the gateway to shelter resources for homeless families. She was turned away because she did not have a photo ID. I was shocked to hear this, and at first assumed that maybe it had just been an exceptional situation. But through some phone calls my supervisor discovered that it is current policy at the Family Resource Center to require photo ID in order to enter the building.

This made me feel frustrated and completely helpless.

One of the things I’ve learned doing this work is how difficult it is to get an ID in DC. A DMV ID requires a birth certificate. Both cost money. A DHS ID requires a visit to 645 H Street. It is not a quick process. And if an individual or a family is seeking shelter, they are already in crisis; there could be any number of reasons why they don’t have their ID.

Homeless families are already facing very real barriers -- more than ever because of cuts to DC's safety net services. To require formal identification from such families just to be able to go through an intake process… well, that doesn’t work out very well in my head. I’m sure the staff over at the Family Resource Center are overwhelmed as well. But they are there to serve families that are already powerless and hopeless. Is this additional barrier appropriate?

Fortunately, one of the great things about working at Bread for the City is that the staff has so many connections and resources. We called our friends down at the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, and they reacted as we had. They agreed that is unacceptable for the Family Resource Center to turn people away due to lack of ID, and reported that they would take care of things. It felt good to know that the situation was in competent hands.

I spoke with this client the next day, and she had gotten into the building without any resistance, and was in the process of working with someone.

I think I learned two important things in this situation last week. First of all, I was reminded that sometimes other agencies put in place rules or requirements that aren’t ever going to make any sense to me. That’s just how these things work. Secondly, I was reminded that in the times when I feel completely helpless, there are often others to whom we can go for assistance. Last week, the folks at Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless felt like superheroes to me. I’m so grateful that there are people like them that we can call on.