Downtown Community Ministry
 
Bulletin
 
24 October 2007

Bank on barriers for street people

Downtown Community Ministry clients applying for a bank account often find the requirements too arduous.
 
Many DCM clients are unable to produce all the necessary documentation that banks require. Such as a combination of passport, drivers licence, credit card or eftpos card, bank statements, community service card and so on.
 
Producing proof of address and date of birth is in itself quite a stretch for DCM clients.
 
Street People Project Coordinator Jen Long says, “They just don’t have the multiple types of ID that banks require”.
 
DCM is delighted that one bank has shown some flexibility in applying their account criteria and Jen was highly impressed with the attitude of their branch staff.  
 
“They went out of their way to open accounts for our clients even though they didn’t meet their usual criteria and it’s my hope that other banks will soon follow suit and address the barriers these people face,” she says.
 
A further obstacle is attendance at the banks application interview.
 
 “I know one client recently found the process very daunting and said if he’d applied on his own he’d have walked out in frustration. It’s a shame that right when these clients are seeking independence and confidence they find these hurdles”.
 
DCM provide banks with the client’s Community Services Card, verification of ID from a Justice of the Peace, a ledger balance from the Street People Project banking programme and a recommendation if necessary.

 
ENDS
 

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