DES MOINES, Iowa — Americans don't need a home address or a valid bank account to be eligible for the third stimulus check, and this makes accessing the economic relief payment a challenge for those experiencing homelessness.
The government uses tax information to identify and send out stimulus payments. However, many unhoused residents don't file taxes because their income doesn't require it, but there are ways for them to still access their money.
“If you don’t have an address, a couple [of] things you can do is you can use a church or a place of worship address or you can use a homeless shelter address to receive that check as well," said Loren Merkle, a financial advisor for Merkle Retirement Planning.
However, those doing so need to notify the institution that they are using the address for this purpose.
Homeless individuals, also, need their Social Security number and can't be claimed as a dependent on someone else's taxes to access their stimulus.
Shelters and other organizations have provided case management to complete the necessary paperwork and overcome barriers to access the funds.
Stacie O'Connor, with Joppa, said, “We have routes every Sunday where our volunteers go out and visit the campsites and they know they can ask our volunteers and say, ‘I’m struggling. I need help. I haven’t received my stimulus check.’”
O'Connor told Local 5 one in three Iowans are unhoused for the first time because of the coronavirus pandemic.
If eligible residents have not received their stimulus payment, the only way to do so is to file 2020 taxes and claim the payment as a rebate. The deadline to file is May 17.
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