Just because a person is homeless, doesn’t mean that they should be anonymous.
The Government of Alberta has launched a program to allow homeless people access to official photo identification.
“(We are) working with our partners to remove the barriers that homeless people face when trying to get an ID card,” Minister of Service Alberta, Heather Klimchuk said.
“One of the things that most people don’t realize is that many of these homeless people do have jobs,” added Jonathan Denis, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.
“I am proud that these people will have the option of actually getting an identification card, setting up a bank account where they can negotiate their cheques and not going to a cheque cashing place where they face punishing fees.”
Denis said he recognizes the difficulty associated with motivating this population though, countering Klimchuk’s optimistic claims about ending homelessness in Alberta with a more realistic point of view.
“If we end up helping several hundred people through this campaign, I would consider this a success.”
