By Vernal Coleman
NJ.com
NEWARK – After six-plus months of planning, officials kicked off the city’s municipal ID program at a ribbon-cutting.
In attendance were dozens of applicants, who gathered inside the lobby of the Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Center to begin the process of obtaining the photo identification card officials say will allow them to take advantage of a host of city services.
More than access, officials said the ID program will provide the city’s documented and undocumented immigrants a sense of belonging.
“The municipal ID will allow all residents a place to call home,” said Newark Director of Health and Community Wellness Dr. Hanaa Hamdi. The program is also intended to help the recently incarcerated, senior citizens and members of the city’s homeless population who are often denied access to local shelters for lack of valid identification, Hamdi added.
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