Homeless individuals cannot receive mail, creating a cascading identity and employment barrier

A person living on the streets or in a temporary shelter has no permanent mailing address. So what? They cannot receive correspondence from government agencies, banks, or employers. So what? Without a mailing address, they cannot apply for or renew a state-issued ID or driver's license, because the DMV mails the physical card to a residential address. So what? Without a valid government-issued photo ID, they cannot pass I-9 employment verification, open a bank account, or apply for housing — the three pillars of reintegration. So what? They remain locked out of the formal economy entirely, forced to rely on cash-only day labor or panhandling, which provides no pay stubs or employment history. So what? Without pay stubs or employment history, they cannot qualify for even the most basic rental application, perpetuating the cycle of street homelessness indefinitely. This problem persists structurally because general delivery mail services at post offices have been defunded or discontinued in most cities, P.O. boxes require a physical ID to obtain (circular dependency), and the few nonprofit mail-receiving programs (like St. Anthony's in SF) have waitlists of 6-12 months and limited capacity. Cities have no mandate to solve the address problem because it falls between the jurisdictions of USPS (federal), DMV (state), and social services (county).