Social Security cards
Homeless Ohioans could skip ID and birth record fees
The bill also lets shelters and approved nonprofit case managers keep consented copies of key papers, so people are less likely to lose everything in one move or one bad night.
Ohio lawmakers want to make it easier for people experiencing homelessness to replace IDs and birth records. The bill also lets shelters and nonprofit case managers hold consented copies of Social Security cards and birth records.
- Fees for some IDs and birth records would be waived for homeless Ohioans.
- Shelters and nonprofit case managers could keep consented copies of key papers.
- The bill aims to make it easier to get housing, work and benefits.
- Courts could also waive some guardianship investigation costs for indigent applicants.
- In Ohio, replacing a lost ID or birth record can be the difference between moving forward and getting stuck again
In Ohio, replacing a lost ID or birth record can be the difference between moving forward and getting stuck again. The proposal would waive fees for identification cards and vital statistics records for people experiencing homelessness, while also letting homeless shelters and nonprofit case managers keep physical or digital copies of a person’s Social Security card, certification of birth or certified copy of a birth record, with consent.
The documents that unlock daily life
For people without stable housing, missing paperwork can quickly spill into everything else. A lost ID can slow a job search, complicate a housing application or leave someone scrambling when benefits require proof of identity. The bill is aimed at making that first reset less expensive and less exhausting.
A backup copy without another trip
The storage provision is meant to cut down on repeat losses. If a shelter or nonprofit case manager can safely hold a copy of key documents, a person who moves, changes locations or loses a folder again does not have to start from zero every time. The bill covers the kinds of papers that are hardest to replace and easiest to misplace when life is unstable.
A broader fee break
The measure also carries language letting a court waive guardianship-related investigation costs when an applicant or guardian is indigent. Recorded votes show the bill cleared a floor vote, and it has 15 sponsors drawn from both Democrats and Republicans.