The EZ ID Program helps homeless people apply for

• U.S. Certified Birth Records and U.S. State Department FS 240s
• CA DMV Photo ID Cards
• Social Security Cards

Through its EZ ID Program, Nos Amis/Our Friends, Inc., Center for Justice and Social Compassion helps homeless people obtain the IDs they need to get their lives back on track.

Some of the homeless individuals we have assisted shared their comments:

Logan, 49
“No ID means you’re not even ‘Mr. Nobody.’ You can’t get work. You can’t cash your check. The police don’t like the idea [that you have no ID]. You have to eat out of the dumpsters. You have to beg for food.”

“A closed mouth don’t get fed. I asked the manager, ‘If I pick up all the trash in the parking lot, can you throw me something to eat?’ A few times they say, ‘No,’ but at some point they say, ‘Yes.’”

“Now [that I have ID,] I feel excellent … I have options now. I couldn’t get my medication without ID.”

“Having ID makes me feel really good. If I work, I can cash a check. If I get stopped by the cops, it’s valid information.”

John, 59
“Before I had ID, I couldn’t do anything. After I got ID, I could do things … go to stores, all that.”

Anonymous, 48
”[Before CJSC got my birth certificate and replaced my social security card and Medi-Cal card,] I only had my California photo ID. I wasn’t worried about ID then. I didn’t really think about it until I went to a doctor’s appointment and they needed more ID.”

“Now that I’ve got all of my ID, I’m worried about hanging on to it. Hopefully, I can hang on to it. That’s my biggest concern. I’m worried I could lose my ID.”