Documented Proof

Helping the homeless regain their identities

by Beth Barbee, Law Communications Coordinator

The ability to prove a person’s true identity—that is, official documentation that you are who you say you are—is not something most people have to think about. But for those living on the streets, a simple document such as a birth certificate, driver’s license or Social Security card can be a significant obstacle keeping them from getting a job, cashing a paycheck, signing a lease, and, ultimately, moving out of homelessness.

–Rebecca, an ID Recovery client, pictured with Jessi Sprague

A need that wasn’t being filled

St. Mary’s University School of Law’s ID Recovery Program seeks to help those in the ranks of the homeless who want to improve their circumstances but cannot be successful without the simple documentation required for so many everyday activities.

The program is led by Jessi Sprague (J.D. ’10), a clinical fellow at the St. Mary’s Center for Legal and Social Justice. She partners with San Antonio’s Haven for Hope—the largest, most comprehensive Homeless Transformation Campus in the nation—and the Bexar County Re-entry Project, to help the homeless transition back into society by helping them acquire the official documents they must have to live and work in today’s society.

For this program to work, proximity is important. Sprague, her law student volunteers and a few undergraduate student volunteers operate out of a small cinderblock office on the Haven for Hope campus. The clients line up outside the office waiting to be called to either begin the intake process or to pick up their documents, such as high school transcripts, military records or even Texas Department of Criminal Justice cards.

Sprague, who took over the program last fall, can only estimate how many homeless they have helped to regain their identities (she puts it at somewhere around 1,000), and there are plenty more who need help. “We have a foot-high stack of paperwork every month; it’s a continuing cycle. It is a great service to prove people are who they say they are,” Sprague added.

The success of this outreach is due not only to the dedication of the staff and students, but also to St. Mary’s reputation in the community.

Trust is vital to program’s success

“Working with the homeless population requires building relationships. Many clients have trust issues and you have to slowly build that trust,” said Mary Herrera, outreach coordinator for the Center for Legal and Social Justice. “We have built a presence at Haven for Hope and within the community as people they can trust. The ID Recovery Program has gained popularity through word of mouth—it was something no one else was doing.”

The ways that the homeless end up without proper identification or records varies, but most times it is the result of the realities of a transient lifestyle. For example, if a homeless person is arrested, even for a minor infraction such as camping, he may not have even the small fee required to get his wallet back upon release. Other times, identification documents have been stolen by other homeless people in the same situation.

“If we don’t help them get their own identity, we are opening the door for them to steal one from someone else,” Sprague said. Further slowing the process, legal complications from a stolen identity must be cleared before new identification can be issued. “Some have had their IDs stolen and that person got arrested under their name, opened accounts, et cetera,” she added.

This can lead to a burdensome bureaucratic process. The St. Mary’s team has notebooks breaking down the requirements by organization and state and, for the nearly 18 months the program has operated at Haven for Hope, they have learned many shortcuts to help move the process along. Still, even after the documents arrive, the problem may not be solved; project team members then have to reach their intended recipients, which can be easier said than done. Names are put on a list and it is up to the client to check the list and come back to pick up their documents.

Realities can impede ID recovery

“Many times with such a long wait, the client has moved on by the time we receive their documents,” Sprague said. “People come and go. Many only come back for a shower and a hot meal. Some may reappear months later. Some are trying to pull their lives together and have a relapse—these are the realities.”

Despite the many challenges, Sprague and the students have been able to find some form of identification for every client who has come to them for help. It is challenging work for the student volunteers, and one with great rewards.

“This is a great program. We take for granted the kind of impact such a seemingly simple task can have on someone,” said Sprague. “The clients cry, hug us and are so thankful and proud to have their identity back. It is the first step in changing their lives and getting them back on track.”

Sprague has been so moved by these reactions, she hopes to continue with the program as long as St. Mary’s will have her. She first moved to San Antonio from a small town in Iowa, where she had had no interactions with the homeless. “When I got here and saw there was such a homeless population, I fell in love with helping them and somehow feel it is my duty,” she said.

“They asked me for my birth certificate. They wanted to know who my father was. I told them, ‘I know who my real Father is, and He’s upstairs right now watching over all of us.’”
–George, an ID Recovery client

Students see the homeless differently

She passed on that sentiment to St. Mary’s undergraduate student and program volunteer Chloe Martinez (B.A. ’11). A criminal justice major from McAllen who had considered going on to law school, Martinez spent every Friday morning this past spring semester at Haven for Hope doing intake and processing documents for the program. The experience Martinez gained has helped to solidify her career aspirations; now she definitely plans to attend law school and looks up to Sprague as a role model.

“I look at homeless people differently than before I started working with them. Something so seemingly insignificant, something that we take for granted, can change their lives,” Martinez said. “Even though they are desperate and frustrated about how long the process is, most people are thankful and appreciative of the help. It makes you feel good about what you are doing.”

One thankful client is Rebecca, a resident at Haven for Hope this past spring. The St. Mary’s program helped her regain her identity by providing a copy of her birth certificate and Social Security card and helped her with legal problems that had been keeping her from moving on with her life. “I was desperate to start Social Security disability proceedings and get myself together,” Rebecca said.

Santos is another homeless person who needed the program’s help. The two law students who worked with him in the spring were able to get him a birth certificate and a state identity card.

“The law students are very professional and very kind,” Santos said. “I feel very blessed that they have helped me; they are good people.