How one ID can help someone take the next step home.
What if the first step out of homelessness is not housing?
What if it is an ID?
In this episode, Bradley talks with Rick Mitchell, CEO of the Homeless ID Project in Phoenix, Arizona, about one of the most overlooked barriers facing people experiencing homelessness: identification.
For many of us, losing an ID is annoying. For someone without stable housing, it can become a wall. Without identification, it can be much harder to get a job, secure housing, access benefits, receive services, or take the next practical step forward.
Rick explains how the Homeless ID Project helps people get birth certificates, state IDs, and the documents they need to rebuild their lives. He also shares how the organization began, what most people misunderstand about homelessness, and why practical help can sometimes be as simple — and as powerful — as a piece of paper or plastic.
This conversation is about homelessness, dignity, access, identity, and the quiet power of helping someone prove: I exist. I can begin again.
Learn more about the Homeless ID Project:
https://www.homelessidproject.org
Visit their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@UCgdJT513FHXwyiFsDlckkFA
Learn about Sleep Out 2026:
https://www.homelessidproject.org/event/sleep-out-2026/
Explore the national conversation around ID access:
https://nationalconversation.org/
Tiny card. Huge turning point.
[ https://youtu.be/M5WJ7sWop-A ]