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Mail for all (from Real Change News)
A class-action lawsuit filed last week in federal court against the United States Postal Service could give homeless people the right to a basic service other people take for granted: free and easily accessible mail.
The suit, filed on behalf of three homeless plaintiffs and SHARE, charges that the post office's current practice of only offering mail to the homeless during limited hours at its branch on Third Avenue and Union Street is unconstitutional and a violation of the post office's own policy to offer equal mail service to everyone. In addition, the post office refuses to give free mail boxes to homeless individuals, even though those boxes are already offered for free for those with homes that cannot be reached on a normal delivery route.
"Anybody who is homeless and lives more than a certain distance [from the post office at Third and Union] is required to spend time and money getting mail that others receive for free," says the plaintiff's lawyer, Casey Trupin, of Columbia Legal Services. "Having to travel by bus to get mail at restricted hours is very cumbersome, and could mean choosing between two necessary tasks, like getting mail or taking care of benefits."
The suit also charges that the post office is continuing to violate two other policies it conceded to in an administrative ruling at the end of last year. The post office persists in denying post office boxes to people who don't have proof of a physical address, even if they meet alternative requirements, such as being known to the postmaster or providing a point of contact such as the address of a shelter or day center, the suit
says.
In addition, Trupin says the post office continues to deny postal box services to homeless individuals after they have used the service for 30 days, even though their own policy says they have to offer this service for as long as it is needed.
No date has been set for a potential trial by judge or a summary judgement, says Trupin. If any ruling comes in favor of the plaintiffs, the decision would guarantee all homeless people the right to equal access to mail services for which they are currently having to pay and travel out of their way, he added.
"The post office has said everyone has the right to a free form of mail service," says Trupin, adding that, for individuals without constant access to a phone or email, mail is often a valued form of communication. "The homeless are the only ones being denied this service." -Molly Rhodes