MO ID Access coalition stories of success
Fall 2025
The Ashrei Foundation is the backbone organization of the Missouri ID Access Coalition and is the recipient of a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health that allows the coalition to grow reach and access to Photo IDs in our state.
A Path to ID Access for Homebound Missourians
A Kansas City resident had always maintained a valid Missouri driver license. In 2023, a serious surgery led to complications that left her ill and largely bedridden. With her focus on recovery and no longer able to drive, renewing her identification fell to the background until she discovered she could not access her Social Security Administration account or her IRS information without a current ID.
Because of her health, visiting a Department of Revenue office in person to apply for a non driver ID was not possible. While she explored options to renew online, she was told an in person visit was required. For someone who was homebound, this would have meant paying hundreds of dollars for ambulance transport just to reach the office, an unreasonable and cost prohibitive barrier. A family member eventually found the Missouri ID Access Coalition online and reached out for help.
Through Coalition advocacy, she was invited to participate in a meeting with the Department of Revenue in September. With that support, the Department worked with her to ensure she could obtain a non driver ID. While she is deeply grateful to once again have access to her essential accounts and services, she also recognizes that many Missourians face similar barriers and that individual solutions are not enough.
Because of Missouri ID Access Coalition advocacy, the Department of Revenue has since reached out to at least three additional homebound individuals and helped them obtain IDs. The Department also created a process for the Coalition to share information about others with similar needs, and several more cases are now pending. This progress reflects what is possible when agencies and advocates work together and highlights the ongoing need for systemic solutions so that no Missourian is locked out of basic rights and services simply because they cannot leave their home.
Coalition Success Spotlight: Making the Case for Free IDs in Missouri
A recent St. Louis Magazine article highlights why removing fees for identification documents is not just a matter of dignity, but smart fiscal policy. Right now, Missouri charges $15 for birth certificates and $24 for non driver state IDs. For people experiencing homelessness, these costs are often the biggest barrier to becoming self sufficient.
Advocates and service providers across the state report that most people seeking help with IDs simply cannot afford them. In a survey of nearly 600 Missourians, 80 percent said cost was a barrier, and nearly three quarters said the lack of ID prevented them from getting a job. Without ID, people cannot secure employment, housing, benefits, or even access basic financial services, keeping them stuck in cycles of instability.
Other states, including South Dakota, Kentucky, and Ohio, have shown that waiving fees works. Kentucky and South Dakota now provide free non driver IDs and birth certificates for people experiencing homelessness. In Ohio, lawmakers are advancing bipartisan legislation by making the cost savings case. Keeping someone in an emergency shelter can cost taxpayers around $60 per day, far more than the one time cost of providing identification. As one Ohio lawmaker put it, free IDs help people help themselves.
The article also lifts up the work that led to the formation of the Missouri ID Access Coalition. After the rollout of REAL ID created new and complex barriers, ID clinics and organizations across Missouri began meeting regularly to address systemic challenges. In 2024, Coalition members traveled to Jefferson City for the first time to meet with legislators, not to push a single bill, but to clearly name cost as a major barrier facing Missourians trying to work, vote, and access housing.
Importantly, the article notes that Missouri already waives ID fees for voting purposes, but this policy often falls short. Many people need replacement IDs because theirs were lost or stolen, making them ineligible for the voting related waiver. Others feel uncomfortable framing their need around voting when their immediate concern is employment or housing. These gaps underscore why broader, more practical solutions are needed.
The Coalition’s first strategic goal is clear: reduce or eliminate fees for identification documents. As the article shows, even a single person moving from homelessness into a minimum wage job can pay far more in income taxes than the state would ever collect in ID fees. That is a win for individuals, communities, and Missouri as a whole.
To read the full article and dive deeper into the data, stories, and policy implications, St. Louis Magazine’s website.
