Rideau Community Health Service’s first Identification Clinic, held on February 14, 2024, was an overwhelming success, thanks to the support from our partners including Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health, Service Canada, Service Ontario, and Canada Revenue Agency.
The clinic aimed to assist individuals who are experiencing homelessness or who are marginally housed in obtaining essential identification documents for healthcare, employment, and housing opportunities. The clinic’s pilot event saw over 20 individuals attend who received assistance obtaining Social Insurance Numbers, OHIP cards, Birth Certificates, Ontario ID Cards and information on various federal benefits such as the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement and the new Canadian Dental Care Plan (among others).
As a Community Health Centre, Rideau Community Health Services supports some of the most vulnerable and complex individuals living in our communities. Our work is driven by addressing the social determinates of health, which include income and social status, employment and working conditions, and physical environments, among many others. The Identification Clinic is one way our organization is working to empower those in need, and helping them achieve a brighter, more equitable future by assisting in obtaining fundamental documentation and information required to get by in our society.
