To hear the audio introduction to A Homeless Vet’s Journey – The Saga Continues…, click the play button below:
Week 12, and the only word about Kurk’s Baptismal Certificate is, “It’s ‘in the mail’.”
Kurk has not been back to the drop in – totally understandable. He did stop by the office and paid us back the $30 for his Verification of Status inquiry.
This battle of bureaucracy is not yet complete: we need the Certificate of Baptism (Birth Certificate) and then start the process of application for ‘Verification of Status’ and proof of Canadian citizenship. Then we need confirmation of Citizenship, and then after these pieces of identification, we can begin the process of application for Old Age Pension and Superannuation.
Week 20 – after calling <Europe> several times, we discover the Certificate of Baptism was received by the Embassy in Ottawa. As soon as we found out, I drove Kurk downtown and we were able to pick up his official Baptism Certificate.
Week 29 we received Kurk’s ‘Verification of Status’ which is a critical piece of identification. Waiting now for Confirmation of Citizenship.
A request for confirmation of CPP and OAS on received on Week 31
We are now in Week 40 (Christmas week) and are still waiting for Kurk’s Citizenship document.
AFTER we get this final document, THEN we can apply for both Kurk’s backlog of eleven months each of Old Age Pension and superannuation. Then we’ll change his address to his new apartment, and pray that he does not have to go through this ‘Identity Maze’ again.
Ken MacLaren, Executive Director
Interact: How do you think you would cope after 40 weeks (and then some) of waiting for your citizenship documentation? How would you cope, homeless, alone and with no family supports?
Hear Kurk in His Own Words Here: A Homeless Vet’s Journey – In His Own Words – episode 8