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These last few weeks have seen me jumping into the field staff role as the word has spread that we are getting IDs in Los Angeles and demand has started rolling in. As executive director, I have mostly been dealing with spreadsheets and Zoom meetings for the last few years and I'm sure my staff is already tired of me asking them how to get a medical info sheet for a social security card and what the rules are for getting a birth certificate from Louisiana. Lucky for me, the nation's leading experts on IDs are in my Slack channel and I have been reminded over and over again this month that our staff, volunteers, and partners are really doing extraordinary work.
This week I continued my journey with my first LA client, Ellie (all names have been changed to characters from Jurassic Park). After last week's journey to get a proof of identification notarized and sent in her Arizona birth certificate finally arrived. Our next step was requesting a social security card- read this harrowing article for an example of how difficult it has been working with the SSA, which has been out of the office for over 600 days. Luckily, Ellie had a few of the things she needed so we put in a request and with any luck they will eventually mail her card. No, we have no idea how long it will take. In the meantime, we're putting together her proofs of residency and making sure she has everything together so that as soon as the card comes we can head to the DMV.
I also met Alan this week but I have actually seen him around a lot. He lives in a tent on a road not far from my house and is known for the dozens of bikes surrounding his encampment. I met Alan through an amazing young social work graduate student who spends her spare time caring for and working with homeless individuals around the west side of the city, where there are far fewer services than in downtown's Skid Row. She and I are now working to help two individuals and she is training to be our first LA volunteer.
This article actually highlights a curious phenomenon in Southern California- as the homelessness crisis has grown out of control, many people try to help and end up becoming de facto caseworkers. Just yesterday I was on the phone with a wonderful 18-year-old in San Diego who started sharing food with a homeless man in his neighborhood and is now trying to help him get an ID. A lot of people are trying to help, which is wonderful, but should absolutely not be necessary.
Alan is a returning citizen who was released a few years ago with zero documents. Using my phone as a hotspot, I ordered a birth certificate for him on the side of the street, but as usual it requires a notarization (even though he was born right here in Los Angeles) so we have to take him to do that. Alan doesn't like to leave his things- he was robbed the day before I met him. There is a big problem right now with people tasing and robbing the homeless across LA- so we are working to convince him to come with us, but I understand his concern. Getting a social security card will be more difficult for Alan than it was for Ellie but that's the next step after his birth certificate comes in.
Over the weekend my mother and I attended a resource fair in Skid Row hosted by the incredible Suitcase Joe Foundation. As always when we table at these things, at least half of the people who passed us said they desperately need an ID. I am so glad that we will be at an easily accessible and popular spot every Wednesday starting in just two weeks.
I was struck by how many children we saw that day because I have never seen any kids in Skid Row. I naively (SO NAIVELY) thought that perhaps mothers with children were more likely to get shelters. As I spoke to other organizations at the fair, it actually became clear that many, many children live in tents on Skid Row, but their parents hide them and keep them out of school for fear of losing them. As I watched a mother with an extremely small infant and two young children leave our table- she was thrilled that we may be able to help her get an ID- I realized that even after all of these years, I can still be heartbroken and surprised, and that the situation in LA is not like anything we have seen in any other part of the country.
This holiday season I only have one thing on my mind- doing everything I can to get as many IDs in Los Angeles, and the rest of the country, as possible. If you would like to volunteer, please email [email protected] and if you would like to support our work- including the hiring of a desperately needed Los Angeles Field Staffer, please visit spreadthevote.org/donate or click the button below.
Thank you so much for all of your support and please stay safe and healthy this holiday season.
Love,
Kat
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