ID service helped over 8,300 unhoused people in Arizona in first year

PHOENIX — More than 8,300 people received up-to-date IDs or other assistance in the first year of a new service for Arizona’s unhoused population.

The program is a partnership between the Homeless ID Project and the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division (ADOT MVD).

Around 6,600 people without permanent housing have obtained state IDs through the project, which started in August 2023. An additional 1,800 people experiencing homelessness have accessed resources through the partnership.

“It’s been a fantastic thing to watch for the first year,” Bill Lamoreaux, an ADOT spokesperson, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday. “It’s been a blast to watch this grow.”

The progress is important because lacking an ID can be a barrier in securing housing, services and employment.

“Once you’re, unfortunately, in a situation like some of these folks are, that ID really does open some doors that otherwise aren’t open,” Lamoreaux added. “The housing, the services, the employment opportunities really start with that ID.”

How does the Homeless ID Project work?

The project helps unhoused people obtain essential documents, such as replacement birth certificates and driver’s licenses.

Located at the Keys to Change campus near 12th Avenue and Madison Street near downtown Phoenix, the service also provides access to computer equipment, a printer, a scanner and cameras for document processing.

It’s been helpful since the beginning. During its first month, the project helped nearly 800 people.

This initiative is also notable as it marks the first time ADOT MVD has offered such support at a permanent location.

Keys to Change, formerly known as Human Service Campus, is a collaboration of partner organizations that provides services to people experiencing homelessness.

“Before this, we were working with them,” Lamoreaux said of the Homeless ID Project. “They would actually send folks our way to some of the different MVD offices, but those folks would then have to get on the bus, and it would be a serious commute. Sometimes, that is an impediment in and of itself, so having this service right there on their campus is really helpful.”

Initially, ADOT contributed by providing an on-site representative at the campus. The program has since expanded to include remote services, allowing clients to receive live assistance from MVD officials without needing to visit an ADOT office.

“It takes both entities to make this happen, but we’re just happy to see the first year numbers,” Lamoreaux said. “Hopefully it continues.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Balin Overstolz McNair contributed to this report.