Although commonplace for many of us, having an ID is truly a precious commodity. It is like holding a set of keys that can get you into places and give you access to the things you need and want. It’s easy to take for granted when we have a driver’s license or state ID in our wallet. To get it, all we had to do was upload our information to the DMV website with our payment information and it was delivered right to our mailbox. The worst-case scenario is we had to take that undesirable trip to the DMV. But for some people, especially for someone experiencing homelessness or other poverty issues, obtaining an ID can seem like an insurmountable barrier.
25 Things you need a state ID or Driver’s license for:
To rent an apartment or house.
To obtain a copy of your birth certificate
To order a Social Security card or get a replacement card
To apply for employment
To file for unemployment
To apply for a loan or mortgage
To open a bank account
To cash a check
To apply for government assistance (SNAP, Medicaid, Social Security disability)
To purchase a firearm
To apply for a hunting or fishing license
To purchase certain medications
To rent a hotel room
To get married
To apply for federal student aid (FAFSA)
To register for school
To apply for a professional license
To drive a car (DL)
To register a motor vehicle
To rent a car (DL)
To board a commercial plane
To apply for a passport
To apply for a credit card
To enter a casino, bar or night club
To obtain a copy of medical records
A large percentage of those experiencing homelessness do not have an ID or the documents required to get one. There are many reasons why this is so. An ID or document may have been misplaced, lost, or left behind as people move from place to place. Their packs may have been exposed to the elements and their documents destroyed. They may have had to quickly flee a domestic situation and leave behind their belongings, including vital documents. Their ID, birth certificate, and/or Social Security card may have been stolen out of their bag, or their campsite bulldozed with all their important papers scooped into the back of a dump truck. At times a person’s estranged family members won’t relinquish their papers to them. Or there may have been an adoption and the person doesn’t have the correct information needed to find where their birth certificate originated. There may be untreated PTSD, other mental health issues, or lower intellectual functioning that make it impossible for some people to maintain the safe keeping of their documents.
Replacing them has enough barriers to make folks want to give up trying to regain their vital papers altogether. To get a WV ID, you need 2 proofs of address, a birth certificate, a Social Security Card, and the ability to pay the required fee. If you’re homeless, you have no address to show proof of. If you don’t have a birth certificate, most states require an ID to order one. If you need a replacement Social Security card, an ID is a must.
Various states have their own requirements for ordering birth certificates. Many states require proof of identity and address. If you have no address or ID, you can’t order a birth certificate. If trying to order online, your billing address and mailing must match the address on your ID, and you need a payment method. If you have no ID, or your address has changed to “no address,” and you have no payment method, you’re stuck. If you use a paper application, you must have access to a computer and printer to print out a form, and you must still have an address, ID, and ability to pay the fee. There are ways to work around these requirements if you know what to do, but there are still hoops to jump through. For someone just trying to survive while unsheltered, it can be both exhausting and frustrating.
I’ve often heard it questioned (and I’ve questioned it myself before I understood) why a homeless person just doesn’t get a job. But with no ID, no SS card, no birth certificate, and no address (not to mention no interview clothes, no access to a rest room to clean up in for an interview or to shower for work once hired, no money to buy work clothes/shoes, no food to bring for lunch, no bank account for direct deposit) it all adds up to one thing…there can be no employment!
Wheeling is fortunate enough to have agencies and organizations offering resources, but you have to know where to find them. UPLIFT OV is a project of HoH-Share, located at the Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community (MoJo) at 88 14th St. in Wheeling, WV. UPLIFT OV helps people who need to get their ID but have no resources to pay for it, thanks to the Breaking Barriers for a Better Community grant. They also help people order their birth certificates and Social Security cards so they can get their ID. And once they have gotten their ID and are ready to look for employment, or if they become employed, UPLIFT OV can help with some basic necessities for that person to work, like work shoes or attire, or bus tokens until that person can get their first paycheck.
UPLIFT OV sees people on a first come first serve basis (no appointment needed) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm. And as part of UPLIFT’s service to the community, free financial literacy sessions are offered through our LifeBridge AmeriCorps members serving on site at the MoJo.
If you or someone you know needs assistance with getting an ID contact the MoJo at (304) 238-9484 or just come in during UPLIFT OV hours. But, if you are fortunate enough to have your ID or driver’s license, know that you hold some very valuable keys in your hands.
