The low-income and homeless populations continue to face challenges as home prices have increased, and waiting lists for shelters and transitional housing are on the rise. However, there are more barriers to obtaining affordable housing than just finding available housing units. For example, people experiencing homelessness may be missing the crucial documentation it takes to get a job or a home — like a birth certificate or a driver’s license.
Rick Mitchell is the executive director of the Homeless ID Project. It’s located in downtown Phoenix on the 13-acre Human Services Campus. “We're empowering individuals to end their homelessness by providing those critical documents that they need to end their homelessness,” Mitchell said. Two years later, they launched a health, navigation and transportation service for the homeless and underserved.