FREE ID 4 ALL
FREE ID 4 ALL
Our basic rights should not have to be bought!
More and more residents of the State of Missouri are in need of identification: To travel, to work, to shop, to vote, to reside. As the documentation challenges grow more and more, so do the prices of the ID. In Missouri, the process to get an ID can cost anywhere between $18-$560. The challenge comes as a paradox: to get an income, one needs an ID. To get an ID, one needs a source of income to pay for the ID.
Homelessness
Several government-funded shelters require ID for entrance. This barrier causes more and more people to sleep outside, go to hospitals, get arrested for loitering.
Unhoused people need ID’s to access many shelters, supportive services, and permanent housing. All government-funded housing (i.e. section 8, CoC Vouchers) require a birth certificate, social security card, and a valid ID.
Unhoused people are more likely to have disabilities or chronic health issues, and need ID’s to access healthcare - without ID, patients must forgo routine/non-emergency care and are forced to rely on ER’s, where care is much more expensive. This puts additional pressure on hospitals and medicaid/medicare.
Unhoused people without ID’s are often turned down for public benefits they are otherwise eligible for - a study found that 53% were denied food stamps, 51% were denied SSI, and 31% were denied TANF (see MAP study for the source of these numbers).
Free IDs are a crucial first step in getting an unhoused person off the street, connected with services, and on a path to permanent housing and long-term stability.
Employment
MO driver’s licenses cost $26-52, the equivalent of up to 3.8 minimum wage hours in Missouri. MO non-driver ID’s cost $12-18 if not for voting purposes, the equivalent of up to 1.3 minimum wage hours in Missouri. This cost is just the ID, not all the other costs associated with getting it!
ID’s are necessary both to access unemployment benefits while searching for a job, and to legally begin work once you find one
ID’s are necessary for people who want to further their careers to sign up for college classes or job training
Free IDs are life-changing for a person who has a job lined up that they can’t accept without that crucial piece of plastic. But it’s also a net good for the entire economy - we all benefit when we make sure that everyone who wants to work is able to do so legally (i.e. paying their taxes!)
Incarceration
Research suggests that poverty and unemployment increase the risk of recidivism, and an ID is essential for legal employment
The US Department of Justice supports ID services for returning citizens, stating in a 2016 fact sheet that “issuing state identification while people are still incarcerated is the most effective model to support successful reentry.”
A 2022 executive order supported free ID’s for returning citizens, creating a federal BOP Release Identification Card. However, this card is not accepted for all the same purposes as a state ID, and only 21 state DMV’s accept the card as a supporting document to obtain state identification.
Free IDs help returning citizens get jobs and housing after a period of incarceration, promoting successful reentry and improving public safety.
Veterans
Veterans need ID’s to access the benefits they have earned - there are 3 types of veteran ID card, and all of them require government-issued ID to get. VA cards on their own cannot be used to prove eligibility for federal benefits, access military bases, or even to check into a VA hospital.
Veterans are more likely to be unhoused than the general population. After years of improvement, veteran homelessness rose 7% in 2024.
Healthcare access is a significant issue for veterans - medical researchers found that in 2019, 1.5 million veterans were uninsured, and an estimated 2 million veterans went without necessary medical care due to cost
Free IDs help veterans get housing, healthcare, and the benefits they’ve earned risking their lives for our country.
Un(der) Banked
As of 2023, 4.2% of US households (5.6 million households!) were unbanked and a further 14.2% of households were underbanked
ID’s are needed to open bank accounts
Families without bank accounts are forced to rely on check-cashing services and predatory payday loans, which inhibit financial stability
IDs help families open bank accounts, build up savings, and maintain financial stability.
Seniors
Seniors often lose their ID’s when they stop driving, because their license was their only form of identification
Seniors face challenges accessing their birth certificates, which are necessary to get a state-issued ID; seniors from rural areas, Black and Native American seniors, and seniors from areas with inconsistent record-keeping are more likely to lack birth certificates (along with anyone born outside of a hospital, which used to be a lot more common)
Seniors need ID to access necessary healthcare and the benefits they’re eligible for, like Medicare and Social Security
Free IDs help seniors maintain their health, housing, and financial stability as they age.
Youth
Foster youth are often not provided any documentation when they age out of care - that means they can’t get a job or housing, sign up for college classes, or open a bank account
This lack of support results in shockingly elevated rates of homelessness - an estimated 20% of foster youth become unhoused the moment they turn 18, 25% experience homelessness within 4 years of aging out, and around 50% of America’s unhoused population has spent time in foster care.
Without ID, youth are unable to attend certain schools and take advancement exams limiting educational expansion.
A free ID is a key part of a successful transition out of care.
Disabilities
People with disabilities are more likely to be low-income and unemployed than the general population: as of 2022 (latest available data), the poverty rate of working-age people with disabilities was 24.7%, and only 45% of working-age people with disabilities were employed.
ID’s are necessary to access SSDI benefits
Many DMV’s are not in accessible locations and are difficult to access for people with disabilities, making the process of obtaining a state ID particularly difficult - and often more costly due to the need for transit accommodations
People with disabilities are more likely to face challenges with employment and housing than the general population, which are compounded by lack of ID
Free IDs help people with disabilities access healthcare, benefits, accessible housing, and other services they rely on.