MEDIA RELEASE

* FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *

October 7, 2022

In alignment with World Homeless Day on October 10, 2022, local Guelph web and software company Northern Village announces the official launch of Access2ID, a program designed to assist agencies who facilitate ID recovery for those experiencing homelessness.

“One of the most significant barriers for people experiencing homelessness to access essential services,  like health care and housing, is lack of identification,” according to CEO Arni Mikelsons.  

A stand-alone version of the Access2ID  software has been used by StreetHealth in downtown Toronto for several years. One StreetHealth client commented "When you don't have ID, it seems like you don't exist."

"The Access to ID system that Northern Village created for us has significantly reduced the time we spend administering our Access to ID program. We find that by providing these services, our clients have better health outcomes primarily because they have a health card, can obtain housing or a job because they have a birth certificate." - Kapri Rabin, Former Executive Director of Street Health

Northern Village was able to devote resources to the project this past year after being awarded the first place winner of Meridian Credit Union’s Small Business contest. “It gave us the extra push we needed to finish the development of Access2ID so that we can now offer it to agencies serving the homeless community,” says Mikelsons.

“The timing of the software launch with World Homeless Day is the perfect opportunity to highlight the many day to day obstacles faced by persons without housing that we take for granted,” notes Mikelsons.

World Homeless Day “draws attention to people experiencing homelessness and sheds light on factors that contribute to homelessness in our societies, including systemic inequities and the lack of access to affordable housing.” It is estimated that over 235,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Canada (Ontario Alliance to End Homelessness)

Northern Village, founded in 2002, is website and software development company that helps social impact organizations make a difference in the communities they serve.  The company received registered BCorp status in 2018, which certifies they are a “business as a force for good.”

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For more information:

Access2ID.com
Arni Mikelsons
Phone: 519-240-8896
Email: arni@northernvillage.com