With Ontario's vaccine certificate, advocates ask: how will it work for homeless people?

Andrew Fletcher said he's fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, but now he's worriedhow he'll be able to prove it.

Ontarioannounceda vaccine-certificateplan on Wednesday. It's a tool meant to stop the spread of the virus and prevent future lockdowns.

The planwill require documentation to accesswhat the province says are "high-risk"spaces such as gyms, restaurants and cinemas, making it the latest in thewave of proof-of-vaccination protocolsthat have been announced for facilities, workplaces and otherservices across Ontario cities in recent weeks.

They are policies that Fletcher,who is stayingin an encampment in Hamilton and said he's been on the street off and on for the past six years, says aregoing to make life difficult for people like him whoexperiencehomelessness.

"The majority of us, myself included, don't have identification at all," said Fletcher, 60."So, how are we going to get these passports?"

It's a concern advocates share. They'requestioning how theproof ofvaccination system is going to work for thosewho don't have access to a printer, let alone a smartphone.

The "enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate" system, as the provincial government is calling it, will come into effect on Sept. 22. To start, it will require that, in order to enter certain spaces,people providea piece of photo ID, along with a printout or PDF ofvaccine receipts.

It's a requirement that immediately caught the attention of Don Seymour, executive director ofWesley, a non-profit organizationwhich provides support for marginalized and vulnerable people in Hamilton.

"There area lot of complications in this," he said, following the premier's announcement Wednesday afternoon.

"For instance, you can print off your vaccine certificate. How many people have printers that are homeless?"

Then there's the addedID requirement Fletcher also flagged as an issue.

Even if someone was able to print off their certificate, they'll need to hang onto it and some form of identification, something Seymour said can be difficult for people dealing with addiction,mental health issues or living rough.

"A certificate is only as good as whether you can hang onto it or not," he said."A lot of the folks we work with lose their ID a lot."

Brother Richard MacPhee, CEO of Good Shepherd, which also serves vulnerable people in Hamilton, said vaccine certification is something his organization has been "struggling with."

"I think it could be a major barrier," he said. "Particularly for folks that have an issue of mental health issues and are reluctant to take the vaccine."

Similar concerns have been raised by support organizations in B.C. and Quebec as those provinces have launched their own vaccine certification systems.

Restaurants a setting some people rely on

The province's vaccine certificate system targets several indoor settings where masks aren't worn all of the time, officials said duringWednesday's announcement.

Among the spaces listedis restaurants, which Seymour said could bemajor issue to people experiencing homelessness and rely on fast food locations such as Tim Hortons or McDonald's for access to washroomsor as a place to warm up or cool down, depending on the season.

In some cases, people are more willing to hand out gift certificates such as Tim's cards to others, rather than money, which could also present a problem if they can no longer be used, he added.

Back at Fletcher's encampment,he saidreceived his second dose from a support worker who visited the encampment where he was stayingabout two months ago. He currently has a cellphone but says they are often stolen andbelieves proof of vaccination requirements will serve to furtherseparate people like him from the rest of the public.

"How are we supposed to survive?" He asked. "There's a lot of dyed-in-the-wool street people out here too, that don't want to be part of any program the government offers."

Seymour said Wesley and other support organizations would be willing to print out vaccination receipts for anyone who's interested, but that will only help for so long.

The biggest barrierboth organizations are anticipating is the shift to the use of aQR code and a "verification app," via cellphones, which will act as proof of vaccination status as of Oct. 22, according to provincial officials.

"There's an assumption that everyone has a phone," said Seymour. "That's not true."

Province says 'alternative tools' coming

Ontario's announcement didnot specifically mention people experiencing homelessness. AFrequently Asked Questions page shared Wednesday says that in the coming weeks the provincewill provide "alternative tools for people with no email, health card or ID."

CBCHamilton has contacted the Ministry of Health for comment.

During the pandemic, Good Shepherdstarted handing out phones, particularly so people can keep track of and follow up on healthcare appointments, said MacPhee, adding he thinks a similar approach will be needed going forward.

"I think that we're going to have to figure out ways in which we can be creative in giving people who live rough access to their medical information."

Both organizations said they'll be monitoring the impact of the provincial plan on the people they serve, and will be ready help or raise concerns with the government as needed.

"I know it's for all the right reasons," said Seymour. "But there are barriers we're going to have to help people negotiate."