Aunty Kerry is one of more than 100 people who attended the first day of the Super ID clinic on Tuesday 4th August at the Ruah Centre.
Donate now to support Ruah during Homelessness Week 2020
The Ruah Homelessness Week initiative brings together representatives from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Justices of the Peace and the Department of Communities over two days to provide the opportunity for people experiencing homelessness to be guided through the process of obtaining proof of identification and applying for a priority housing listing.
In Western Australia, there are more than 9,000 people experiencing homelessness with 1,000+ of those sleeping rough in the State each night. Many of those who are sleeping rough have issues with lost or stolen documentation. They often carry all their possessions with them and can be left with no proof of ID at all.
Additionally when faced with the realities of a lack of sleep, lack of food and health needs, negotiating through a series of appointments with different agencies to get an ID or apply for a house is simply not achievable when they are just trying to get by day-by-day.
The Super ID Clinic has been a welcome initiative for those experiencing homelessness with many of those like Aunty Kerry attending and walking away from the clinic with a birth certificate and their name on the priority housing list – something that usually can take months to obtain.
For more information on the clinic, visit the Ruah Homelessness Week 2020 hub.