Homelessness is Hard
I have not given much of an update on the homeless man that I have been helping. This is more of a reflection of my laziness than a lack of things happening.
Thanks to the Friendship House, he was able to get his birth certificate from New York. This took 2 months. Since then, we have been trying to get documents that will allow him to get a State ID. This is very hard for a homeless man. The State wants him to prove his residency with utility bills. Homeless people don’t get utility bills. Any suggestions are appreciated.
On the homefront, the home that he was living in (as a guest) has been rented, so he is back to living in the woods. I am running out of ideas. I even called the YMCA to see if he could live there. A room at the Y costs $130/week (less if you sign a lease). For a place to stay for a week or two, that might have been fine. However, guess what you need to live there? An ID. When I discussed this with the guy at the Y, he sounded quite discouraged by the situation that the guy finds himself in.
I bought him a DART Card, so now he is somewhat mobile. Previously, he had gotten bus passes from the Friendship House, but they will give you 8 passes at a time (and they are usually out of them). To get to DMV to try to get his ID, he would have to change buses each way, so 4 of his 8 cards were wiped out to get rejected at DMV. Now at least he can get around if there is some work in Wilmington.
Speaking of work, he has applied in a few places. This is a gamble. Since he doesn’t have ID, if one of these places calls him back, he likely will have to decline the job, since he is undocumented. Not that they can actually call him back, since he has no phone. But he does check in with the places every other day or so.
Tags: homelessness
Please email me. This is my line of work.
Thanks, Annie. What a vicious circle this experience has been for LG.
Oh no. This is not an experience that I am having at all. I had a nice soft bed last night, a breakfast in the morning and a hot shower. I just want this guy to have some of the basic necessities to get out of his current situation.
Annie, I’ll be in touch.
You’re being modest, LG. You have invested yourself in this man’s dilemma, and I’d bet it’s keeping you up at night.
Face it, you’re a good person.
Just a guy with a home. Believe me, I’m not the one who has it bad in this story.
You could perhaps get him a cheap cell phone with a card, that way he could get job/home offers. Shouldn’t a birth certificate be sufficient for most work? If he doesn’t have a Social Security card he should get one of those as well.
Most employers want photo ID. He has a Social Security number. I’ll have to check if he has the card.
I’ll look into the phone thing. He has been talking about getting one, but the work has been pretty sporadic, and so has any money.
When you start a job, in addition to a Social Security number you need to show certain documents to prove you are a citizen… the list of acceptable documents is on p.3 of the I-9 form.
(On a side note, when you go the main page for uscis.gov you are assigned a long, apparently unique tracking URL… interesting…)
(On a side note, when you go the main page for uscis.gov you are assigned a long, apparently unique tracking URL… interesting…)
Correction: this can be seen at http://www.uscis.gov/i-9
If someone had a spare bedroom, or a garage apartment that they could let him use for a few months until he could get back on his feet, that would help.
He would be able to get bills in his name at an address, it would lead to getting a job, an income…
DHSS issues photo ID’s…he’s probably eligible for an EBT card (the Stimulus $$$ has upped the food stamp allotment).
The phone w/card is a great idea.
As to the address ‘problem’….if someone can get his mail you can call the phone & utilites and ask for ‘info’ to get an envelope w/his name on it.
Try Sojourner’s Place in Wilm….you must apply and maybe wait a while (not too long), be ‘dry’ or willing to ‘dry up’, you can live there for 1 yr., get help w/addiction(s), employment, future housing, and a myriad of services and assitence.
Sister Jean Cashman and the Sojourner’s family have a proven track record.
Boy, I’m really hoping something good happens for him. I’ve met him. He did a little work for me.
I’d be happy to help out. Though the economy is scaring me, so I’m hording my cash right now.
Another good resource is
http://www.delawarehelpline.org/
or you can call Delaware Helpline at
1-800-464-4357
Susan’s suggestion of Sojourner’s is a good one. They have a lot of experience helping people and are right on a bus line.