With the fifth anniversary of the IDNYC program approaching and the first set of cards set to expire beginning in January 2020, the city yesterday unveiled a new card design and a comprehensive, citywide targeted advertising outreach campaign to promote renewals.
IDNYC started back in early 2015 with the intention of providing undocumented immigrants access to social and educational services while still providing official documentation for opening bank accounts and interacting with the police.
“IDNYC has helped more than 1.3 million New Yorkers access the best our city has to offer,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Over the last five years, IDNYC has become the largest and most successful municipal ID program in the nation because of this commitment to accessibility and inclusion, and this new expansion will ensure even more New Yorkers can participate.”
At the official relaunch of the program yesterday at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights, Esther Sanchez, the first IDNYC cardmember spoke about the benefits that she has experienced in the past few years.
A mother of three living in Queens, Sanchez said she had trouble picking up her kids from school and was often treated aggressively by security guards. She couldn’t access hospitals or city benefits. Having an identification has not only made picking up her kids easy, it has also allowed her to access benefits and move about the city. Before receiving this ID, she lived in the United States for 18 years without official identification. With the launch of the program, her life changed drastically for herself and her community and it was a celebration heard around the world. She even received calls from people in Mexico congratulating her inclusion and acceptance in New York City.
Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner for the Mayors Office on Immigrant Affairs spoke emotionally and extensively about several cases in which IDNYC has helped people across the city. She was the one who first asked Sanchez to be one of the first cardholders, and eventually become its ambassador.
IDYNC has not just helped immigrants but is open to all New Yorkers of varied backgrounds. A survey of cardholders in 2016 provided that 72% of those who used IDNYC to access public benefits said that IDNYC had helped them to do so. 77% of immigrants surveyed said that it increased their sense of belonging in the city. Overall, members have accrued over 55 million in savings in membership fees and benefits.
The program has partnered with various cultural organizations around the city and has 38 returning members such as The Children’s Museum, Carnegie Hall, The New York City Ballet, El Museo del Barrio, The Met, MOMA and more offering benefits such as one-year free membership to their institutions.
“In one of the most diverse cities in the nation, with every language, religion, and country on the planet represented here, the thing that unites us is that we are all New Yorkers,” said Carmelyn P. Malalis, Chair and Commissioner of the NYC Commission on Human Rights. “The IDNYC program helps over 1 million people access necessary services and programs, while simultaneously making accessible some of our city’s most beloved cultural institutions. IDNYC has become one of NYC’s most vital resources and will continue to foster a safer, more welcoming city for all.”
