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IDs For Homeless Weighed

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ID cards and voice mail could help thousands of homeless people get a job, advocates say.

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By MIKE SALINERO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 3, 2008

TAMPA - ID cards and voice mail could help thousands of homeless people get a job, home and normal life, several advocates told the Hillsborough County Commission.

Thomas Atchison and Lee Hoffman of New Beginnings, a nonprofit organization that helps people with drug and alcohol problems, asked commissioners for an initial commitment of $125,000, which they say would pay for 1,000 voice-mail accounts and 1,400 identification cards.

Atchison said the funding is "miniscule" compared with the money the county has to pay to keep homeless people in jail on minor offenses.

That's where many end up because they can't produce identification when stopped by police. Without ID cards, homeless people can't apply for jobs or get free medication from county health services. The voice mail would give potential employers a number to call if they want to hire a homeless person, he said.

"They can't even get day labor without an ID," Atchison said.

Hoffman, who was once homeless, said the public's perception that most homeless people are drunks and drug addicts who do not want to work is largely groundless. Many become homeless because they lose their job and can't afford medication that keeps them healthy and stable, he said.

"Giving them voice mails and IDs ... is not giving a handout; it's giving them a hand up," Hoffman said.

County Commissioners Kevin White and Mark Sharpe expressed support for the plan.

"When a homeless person without an ID is arrested, the police department can't release him on his own recognizance," White said. "They must go to jail. ... That can cost thousands and thousands of dollars to county taxpayers."

The commission took no action, but Commissioner Brian Blair asked Atchison to make an appointment to meet later.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.

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