Identifying the Need -- Access to a phone and internet connectivity is a basic utility in 2023.

 

​What you can't do without a phone:

• Call 911 

• Stay in touch with your case manager or get a case manager at all to apply for services, and THEN be able to make it to interviews and appointments

• Keep up with medical appointments and medications (Lots of programs are offering Zoom therapy and Tele-health now; not having a phone requires unneccessary travel and/or inability to comply)​​

• Look for a job, housing, or resources (Many programs require the client to call in on a certain day per week to remain on the waiting list)

• Check the bus route and schedule, the temperature, time, forecast, or what services are available that day and where (Such as what organizations are serving meals on a given day)

• Stay in touch with family, friends, and support network

 

When applying for a government phone (Obamaphone), individuals are asked for a mailing address, a picture ID, and are subject to various other requirements, in addition to a wait time. Time is a luxury vulnerable people typically do not have. 

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