No ID to cash a street cheque
Recently, my girlfriend Krystal stumbled upon what I've found to be an increasingly problematic situation.
She could not apply for her basic needs allowance without identification. Ontario Works sent her to an ID clinic and told her that if she brought back proof that she had initiated the process of recovering her ID, they'd write her a $201.00 cheque for her basic needs as she is NFA.
The problem is this: How can she cash a cheque with no ID? The Ontario goernment is willing to print out a $201.00 dollar bill, but will not give her cash knowing that she has no hope in hell of cashing the cheque.
Could they not have a cash teller at even only one welfare office in the city that deals with this situation. One place in the whole city that will give cash to a person whom by their own rules, has proven who they are?
Is this too much to ask? I don't know, you tell me.
Joey @sshole
SQUEEGEEFREEDOM
I've seen this catch 22 before. You're right, it sux in a BIG way.
You might try this. Take *every* piece of *anything* she has with her name on it to a Money Mart that has photo ID or a cheque cashing service that does pics.
Find someone who will be "home" when money mart calls. They can vouch for her visually. Money Mart may call and ask them is she is who she says she is, as reference.
You will lose some money this way. Like $5-15 [can't remember how much right now] on the cheque to pay them to cash it.
Make sure you have the wallyfare number where you got the cheque. MoneyMart is likely to call the intake worker and ask for a description and find out if the cheque is not reported missing.
That should work and best of luck to you both!
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GARIBALDI: What are you worried about? We went up against the ENTIRE Earth Alliance in two carrier groups.
SECURITY GUARD: Yeah but this is the post office. This could get us in *real* trouble.
Thanx a lot, we'll give it a shot in a few days when she's eligible again.
Thanx again,
Joey @sshole
Well much as I hate recommending Money Mart [major poverty pimping there] I do however know that most people at Tent City got there cheques cashed there without too much hassle.
And when I didn't have enough ID when I moved here, they cashed my cheques and paycheques [frig was THAT expensive!]
So Good Luck to you and the other half...
Hey, thank you very much man, sorry for the late reply but your idea payed off and everything went through just fine. Thanks again.
Joey & Kristal
I'm glad it worked out for you both!
They take a few $$$ of but when you're stuck it can be helpful!
It's even worse in Quebec. I can't get any Quebec I.D. because I refuse to have "current" picture I.D. in my maiden name which I got rid of 17 years ago with my first marriage (in San Francisco) but Quebec's anti-married-name for women laws make them refuse to put any of their I.D. in my correct name. Even Money Mart places demanded Quebec I.D. and refused to accept my International Drivers' License or my British one. All of my problems with cashing checks, opening bank accounts, even getting seen at CLSC's are due to Quebec's anti married name for women law which is actually age discrimination but meanwhile it makes the month-to-month check-cashing deal a major problem!
I find myself just idly waiting for the mail for a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship just because the Canadian government supposedly does recognise marriage and married names and that is for the purpose of going over Quebec's head in order to get basic, "primary" I.D. to get everything started all over again.
That could take anywhere from 5-12 months and meanwhile that will be that many more months of not having any "proper" I.D. to do basic things like cashing checks.
I was born in Saskatchewan and I am being treated like "not Canadian" by another province in MY OWN COUNTRY.
So just be glad you are not trying to cash checks in QUEBEC!!!
Eventhough you figured out your problem another avenue you may take is talking to the housing worker at St Stephen's Drop In on Augusta or The Meeting Place at Queen + Bathurst may cash your cheques for you. They hepled me out before with the same problem.
It sucks and contributes to major big buisness poverty pimping but if Quebec has Money Marts or other cheque cashing storefronts that don't need much ID, take a picture and confirm the cheque by calling the cheque writer, until you get your ID they may be an option.
Some private agencies that work with street people will sometimes use a huge bank deposit/withdrawal system to cash them for you too. You usually have to wait until they go banking the following day but they don't charge anything. Sometimes they have programs that help you GET a cheque, too.