By TJ Johnston
TJ Johnston, editor of San Franciscan street paper Street Sheet, writes about losing his ID while experiencing homelessness.
In 2019, when I was homeless, I lost my ID. I retraced my steps to the shops where I knew I had taken it out when I fished for loyalty cards and cash in my pouch. No luck—it wasn’t at any of them.
That meant that I had to undergo the rigmarole of replacing my ID. At least I still had my Social Security card, knew where I kept my birth certificate and had access to the paperwork waiving the fee to unhoused California residents—which is not the case for many people experiencing homelessness.
It was only a matter of bringing them to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), taking the requisite photo and waiting for the DMV to post it to the office where I write for Street Sheet.
This article first appeared in Street Sheet, a magazine sold on the streets of San Francisco, California, US, by people who have limited other ways of earning an income.