Partners can offer special benefits & services to maximize exposure to consumers with card that will be offered in Spring 2018
PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza today announced that the City of Providence is seeking to foster partnerships with local organizations and businesses, such as restaurants, shops, museums and entertainment venues, to provide access to special services and benefits to IDPVD card participants. The card will be offered to residents as part of the municipal identification program that is set to launch in Spring 2018. Similar programs across the nation have provided access to housing, healthcare, education, recreational and transit services, as well as special business incentives, among other offerings.
The identification card will be available to all residents ages 14 and older, and can serve as proof of identity and residency; be used to engage with City departments; and provide discounts to local establishments and venues. The cards promote community pride and aim to improve relationships between residents and local government entities.
IDPVD has already been enabled to function as a library card through a partnership with Providence libraries. The card can also be used as proof of residency to enter the Roger Williams Park Zoo at no cost on the first Saturday of every month. Other established benefits include a $1 discount on admission and a 25% discount for memberships to the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium; 15% off admission to the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center and for skating and bumper cars at the Alex and Ani City Center, and free admission to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum.
A wide range of benefits and services have been integrated through municipal identification card programs offered in New York City, NY, San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA, Washington, D.C., as well as New Haven and Hartford, CT, to name a few municipalities. The cards serve as a unique promotional avenue for partners, allowing for the expansion of their consumer network. In New York City, among other benefits, including business discounts, IDNYC cardholders are granted one-year memberships to 40 popular attractions and destinations, including museums, zoos, and concert venues, at no cost.
Benefits for Providence partners include, being listed on the City’s official IDPVD website, as well as IDPVD material that will include a list of benefits and will be distributed to new card holders upon their registration. Partners that sign up by April 23, 2018, will be included on the list, which will be updated annually. Those that sign up after will be listed on the City’s website only.
Municipal identification cards are particularly valuable for vulnerable communities, including undocumented immigrants, those experiencing homelessness, youth, the elderly, formerly incarcerated individuals, individuals who identify as LGTBQ and others who may have difficulty obtaining and retaining other government-issued identification.
Parties interested in pursuing a partnership or seeking more information about the program are encouraged to email or call the Mayor’s Center for City Services (MCCS) by dialing 3-1-1.