by Justice
Cashless society can be harmful to low-income and homeless people. It makes basic needs more inaccessible, increases surveillance and gives government and private companies more control over people. As society moves in an increasingly technologically dependent direction, people are relying on cashless payments for convenience and ease. But this current wave of invisible currency, which stands in the shadow as the pandemic’s primary use, becomes a gaping hole when it comes to homeless and low-income people of the city.
Many cashless payments often require both access to a bank account or credit union, which usually requires two forms of identification and an address to open an account. Those requirements often make a cashless system out of reach for a significant part of San Francisco’s population. More than 8,000 residents lack stable housing, with a little more than half temporarily sheltered, according to the City’s latest point-in-time homeless count. Over 12% of the city’s residents, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey in 2023, live below the federal poverty line with over 30% of them Black and almost 20% Latinx.
Many people in low income areas can rely on smaller businesses that take cash only and people whose primary income comes from donations, odd jobs and charity usually are most accessible in cash form. Without access to funds many people could be food insecure, and unable to get other necessities, clothing and medical supplies. There’s not enough social services to provide for people and no guarantee that proper sizing will be available for the few that provide clothes. In addition some forms of cashless donations also require the use of a phone that needs an energy source for charging. Without that accessibility, funds become impossible to reach in reasonable time.
Some of the benefits to having a cash-based system include the anonymity and privacy that it affords. Cash can be stored away for emergencies.
Every community needs space for people to be financially independent. But a cashless society limits fostering a sense of community and neighborhood care. This can further inequality between rich and poor, or at least “those who are connected and those who are not.”
Some people keep their money on hand to keep health budgeting practices, like disabled and senior people. Other systems benefitting unhoused or low-income people also exist, such as trading, bartering services or even just leaving useful items in a “free box” on the street.
In my experience as a Street Sheet vendor, I have met people who wanted to help me but did not have paper funds. I have needs, such as herbs that I take to help me digest food. Thanks to spare change in the glove box, a found dollar here or there, I’m able to make it another day. We keep each other strong when we can help support the community in hard times, because we are truly all we have.
