People in Ontario are typically asked to show their voter ID card or a piece of identification with their name and address on it when they go to vote – but there are different procedures in place to allow people who are homeless to cast a ballot.
Chelsea Leite said she’s lived at an encampment in Kitchener on and off for about three years.
She is motivated to vote in this election, saying the homelessness crisis is skyrocketing and it doesn’t feel like anything is being done about it.
But there’s one big barrier to casting her ballot.
“I don’t have any ID, so I have to figure out how to go around that,” Leite told CTV News.
Ashley Schuitema, the executive director of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, is trying to spread the word about how people without an address can get the identification they need to vote.
“It’s really, really important for people to feel empowered and supported to get out and vote this election,” she said.
It begins with identifying where the unhoused person has gone most frequently to either sleep or access food over the last five weeks.
“It could be a food bank, or a shelter, or a community health agency. That becomes their address,” Schuitema explained.
The administrators of those agencies can complete an Elections Ontario form that then allows them to verify the identity of their clients and provide those people with a Certificate of Identity and Residence form that they can take to the polling station.
Community support
A number of service providers in Waterloo Region are prepared to vouch for their clients so they can vote.
One of them is Thresholds Homes and Supports, which runs the overnight warming centre in Kitchener.
“I think that empowering people to use their voice is a big part of our job,” said CEO Eric Philip.
The number of people experiencing homelessness has reached unprecedented levels, and advocates say it is important their voices are heard.
“There’s so many important issues on this election ballot -- things around homelessness, things around encampments, social assistance rates, rates for people that are living with Ontario Disability Support program benefits,” Schuitema said. “These are big issues and reasons why we’re seeing so many people living unsheltered, and these will be key, key factors in the election.”
“I think that individuals can definitely see that this election can impact their lives directly, whether it’s funding or whether it’s access to housing or other components that are really important,” explained Philip.
A growing problem
A recent point-in-time count identified more than 2,300 people in Waterloo Region who are experiencing homelessness, while the Association of Municipalities of Ontario recently estimated more than 80,000 people are homeless across the province.
Jason Paul recently found housing but said he lived at a Kitchener encampment for a couple of years.
“It’s definitely hard to vote because it’s just not something that’s on top of our minds,” he told CTV News.
But the effort, he added, is worth it.
“It’s one our rights as Canadians, so it’s definitely important.”
For more details and information on how service providers can complete the forms needed to give clients a Certificate of Identity and Residence, visit Administrative Resources for Electors Without a Permanent Address.
