ID Cards for the Homeless

(San Antonio) The San Antonio City Council has approved a distribution of $5,000 in taxpayer funds to the Salvation Army to issue identification cards to the homeless. According to Maj. Robert Stutts, area commander for the Salvation Army, the cards are intended for vagrants but they will be available to other residents also. Even though the ID "could not be used to obtain a state-issued ID, holders could use it to enter shelters and receive other social services," he added.

Stutts said his agency already has issued more than 150 cards and expects to issue up to 700 more after the word gets out.

In addition to the usual information such as name, date of birth, height and weight, the card will include a person's nickname, Social Security number, birthplace, two next-of-kin contacts and a thumbprint.

If an applicant cannot provide proof of identity, the card will be issued with whatever information he or she can give.

There is some benefit to be derived by tracking the indigent community if a fairly accurate count is obtained. Actual numbers of homeless seem to be regularly exaggerated by advocacy groups. However, unintended consequences may arise since there is no requirement for the ID cards to contain verified information. For example, if a homeless person obtains a San Antonio ID card and then goes to another city, it's not clear that the authorities will recognize that the cards may contain bogus information.