Happy 5th birthday to the ID Bank!
We are proud to celebrate the ID Bank’s 5th anniversary this month! It started out of the need to help our neighbors who are low-income, homeless or precariously housed to store their ID cards, or to acquire the ID they need to get the benefits they are entitled to. During the past five years, we have served hundreds of people in need. We are proud of the daily impact this program has on the lives of our members.
Our staff is proud the serve our most vulnerable neighbors and help them get back on their feet.
Not having an ID is an obstacle when applying for income assistance and disability benefits. If you’ve ever attempted to replace your official government ID, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “you need ID, to get an ID.” You also need a government-issued photo ID in order to:
• open a bank account
• replace a lost bank card and access a personal bank account
• access and hold on to MSP coverage
• apply for a job
• apply for a volunteer position that requires a criminal record check
• apply for social housing
• access emergency health care services
• access public libraries, community centers, and other community services
• obtain Native/Métis status
Without an ID, it is impossible for our members to break the vicious circle of homelessness, unemployment, or life without proper medical care. The people we serve encounter significant barriers in trying to obtain or replace their government-issued photo ID. Often, they don’t know or can’t provide the specific details required to have an ID issued to them.
Sometimes, we see First Nations clients who are residential school survivors and who were given names that do not match their legal birth names. Often, their parents are either estranged or deceased, so there’s no one to help them. Not only are they unable to retrieve the information they need to be recognized, they must also relive the trauma of residential school survivorship by explaining why they have haven’t been able to obtain ID and access the services they deserve.
In different situations, our members without the home address are not able to obtain their documents, or if they are immigrants, they need assistance with getting the right documents to prove their status.
So how do we help?
Our members can deposit their ID cards at our office and have them kept locked and safe. They can get them and return them to the storage whenever it’s needed.
Also, the ID Bank help our neighbors to apply for: Canadian birth certificate, Canadian Citizenship Certificate (for the replacement only), Permanent Resident Card (for the replacement only), and for the BC Government issued Photo ID.
The ID Bank is a free service and covers the costs of Canadian birth certificates, replacement Canadian Citizenship Certificate and replacement Permanent Resident Cards.
In the last five years, we have helped hundreds of people in need. What we can see is not only that they were able to get on track with their lives and start building stability, but our members are also empowered to learn about and champion their human rights. This is no small thing, especially for people who tell us they feel invisible, struggle to have their voices heard and often don’t know where to go for help.