As a social worker at Ministry with Community in Kalamazoo, Hannah Turner is all too familiar with the difficulty faced by homeless and economically vulnerable residents in obtaining state identification.

She begins the process with up to eight Ministry members each week, and depending on the situation, it can take months to track down and obtain the documents necessary to prove a person’s identity.

“The amount of time it takes to achieve something that should be simple is incredibly frustrating,” she said. “People get spun around, misinformed, sent somewhere without fully knowing what they’re supposed to be doing and what documents they need.”

Nationwide, about half of the homeless population have been denied access to essential services because they lacked state identification, according to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty.

“We know from research and community engagement that lack of access to a state ID or county vital records is a major barrier that is keeping people trapped in poverty,” said Robert Elchert, Community Impact Associate with United Way BCKR. “Without these documents, people can’t apply for jobs or services related to basic needs, finances, employment, and education. They effectively have no way to reach stability, let alone realize their full potential.”

Resolutions passed in both Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties this year aim to make state identification more accessible for many in our region.

The Calhoun/Kalamazoo County ID Task Force, co-chaired by Elchert, was instrumental in working with officials to adopt pilot programs in each county that offer fee waivers for vital records, allowing homeless citizens to access documents, such as birth certificates, that may have been out of reach without a way to pay for them.

Calhoun County adopted its resolution in April of this year, and Kalamazoo County’s passed in September.

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction to help people attain things that are so needed,” said Turner, also a member of the task force.

Before Kalamazoo’s waiver program went into effect, Turner had a budget each month that was used to pay for birth certificates and other documents for Ministry with Community members seeking ID. She was forced to turn people away each month when the funds were gone.

“The waivers have been huge,” she said. “They allow me to see more people, people who beforehand I had to turn away because I didn’t have enough money to pay for those records.”

Between Ministry with Community and the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, Turner said, staff members have handed out 39 vouchers for vital records totaling $780 since Oct. 1.

While the financial component is important to the process, Turner’s job doesn’t stop at providing funds. She thoroughly walks members through the steps they need to follow, orders transcripts and other documents, and remains available for people to reconnect if they get lost along the way.

“The time investment is important,” she said, “making sure people have every opportunity and every piece of knowledge they need to get these things.

“Everyone should have a right to a Michigan State ID.”

The task force was also successful this year at a state level, initiating a program through the Michigan Secretary of State that allows homeless individuals to obtain a state ID using alternative identification. That program is currently in effect in Calhoun County. The task force continues to work with the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness to expand into Kalamazoo County and statewide.

[su_box title=”Calhoun/Kalamazoo County ID Task Force” box_color=”#2611be”]SAFE Place; Share Center; The Salvation Army BC; Homeless Coalition of Calhoun County; Gryphon Place; Ministry with Community; Kalamazoo Gospel Mission; Hispanic American Council; Housing Resources, Inc.; United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region [/su_box]