I read this article this morning, and it sort of caught me off guard. I did not realize all these safeguards were now in place. In a way it is sad and scary that some will go away without getting the needed checks and papers. Want to be fed? Where's your ID. Bothers me.
For so long there has been such an attitude in this country that you can't get help unless you are helping yourself. Generally, I can agree with that. But I learned during the hurricanes that hit us...that sometimes we are not capable of helping ourselves and we are dependent on the kindness of neighbors and strangers. I saw grown people crying during the aftermath of those 3 hurricanes. There was nowhere to turn except each other.
The Salvation Army leader said this, and I fear we are lacking some perception and understanding on utter helplessness in this country now.
"Some of the homeless have called this `the mark of the beast'," he said. "There is that element out there, but people can't get help if they won't help themselves."
Well, sometimes they just can't help themselves. There are times in peoples' lives when they are utterless helpless. Sometimes the thought of having to choose a full tummy over having their past investigated with the info turned over to government agencies...will cause many to turn away.
ID plan for the homeless
But the rules are changing at Salvation Army and other homeless shelters in Polk and around the nation. To access so much as a free meal, people must provide documents such as a driver license, Social Security card or birth certificate.
Social service workers must investigate a person's past, present and future, questioning reasons for being on the street and what steps they're taking toward stability.
It's all part of a Congressional mandate to collect data and a more accurate count of folks who move in and out of homelessness and adjust federal spending on the problem.
..."Much of the information will be shared with the federal government. That rankles some advocates for the homeless because many homeless individuals receive mental health and other medically sensitive services.
Here are the requirements for the Salvation Army photo ID.
a Social Security card and either a driver license or a state-issued identification card, plus submit to a 30-minute interview.
By October 1st no one will be fed without these cards. The article goes into the massive work that these agencies face to meet this federal mandate.