For unhoused people, ID laws go beyond voting. Without documents, ‘you can’t do anything.’

National polls show broad support for requiring photo ID to vote — for many Americans, requiring proof of who you are in order to vote or to obtain government-issued identification, like a driver’s license, is reasonable. But voting-rights advocates warn that the strictest ID laws demand types of ID that many people do not have, restricting a fundamental right.

For unhoused people, especially those facing criminal charges or who have just gotten out of prison or jail, obtaining identification and other supporting documents can be daunting. It can become a barrier not only to voting, but also to accessing housing, healthcare and employment, The Marshall Project reports.

John Greenwood lost his ID during a move from California to Tucson to be closer to his family. Since then, his housing has been precarious, sometimes staying with friends, other times in a hotel. Greenwood said he is currently homeless and is trying to get an Arizona ID, which he needs to secure an apartment.

Without an ID, he said, “It’s hard, you can’t do anything.”

In Arizona, someone getting a driver’s license or state ID for the first time must present documents that verify their identity and residency. But many unhoused people lack these supporting documents.

On top of that, Arizona’s motor vehicle division only delivers permanent IDs by mail. Before applying for an ID, an unhoused person would need to use a family member’s address or coordinate with a service provider that helps people without a physical address to actually receive the ID and other mail.

When Aaron Argast entered a Tucson shelter, he was happy to be in a sober, communal environment and off the streets, where sleeping outside risked an arrest that could violate his probation. He said staff gave him a checklist of requirements for staying long-term in the shelter. Among them was getting a driver’s license or state ID. Argast said the shelter expected him to get an ID in a few days.

If Argast had ever had an Arizona driver’s license or state ID, it would’ve been straightforward to get a replacement. But since he’d never had one, he first needed to prove his identity with a document such as a birth certificate or passport. For many people, this becomes a Catch-22: To get the birth certificate needed for an ID, they must request a certificate from the state where they were born. But some states require a government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license, to issue a birth certificate.

In part because of those kinds of situations, and because getting an ID can be a condition of some shelters and court programs, some advocates for the rights of homeless people believe it’s important for government officials and service providers to recognize that getting an ID can take a while, and that there should be a way for a person to get help and services while they’re untangling their ID situation. Service organizations are beginning to offer secure storage to help prevent the loss of documents and work with state agencies to process ID applications at events.

Valerie ElGhaouti helps U.S. citizens obtain the documents they need to vote, as an organizer for VoteRiders, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. ElGhaouti worked with Argast to help his father order Argast’s California birth certificate, one of that state’s workarounds to the circular documentation requirements. After more than a month, Argast received his birth certificate from his father, and can now work with ElGhaouti to get an ID.

Argast noted that an ID was important for not only finding work, but for nearly every aspect of life. “If you don’t have ID, you’re kind of like, you don’t exist,” he said.

Helping people like Argast is why ElGhaouti has a packed schedule of events at Tucson library branches, events to quash warrants, job fairs and a bustling city courtroom specializing in unhoused people’s misdemeanor cases.

Once the different ways of verifying identity have been untangled and a mailing address has been secured, VoteRiders can issue a voucher that covers the cost of the driver’s license or state ID and arrange transportation to the motor vehicle division office. So far this year, the organization has assisted nearly 1,900 people with getting IDs in Arizona.

The process of getting documents can be complex; but, ElGhaouti insists, it’s essential. “The number of things that you can’t do without identification, the list is a mile long,” they said.

And ID is not just good for voting,;it’s also needed to move into many kinds of housing. Kazue Coon, who, until recently, worked for a substance use treatment provider, recalled that, as the city worked to clear a large encampment known as 100-Acre Wood, efforts to quickly move displaced people into housing were slowed by a lack of IDs, even though units were available.

Identification is also important for obtaining healthcare, including enrollment in Arizona’s Medicaid program. That coverage is critical for paying for substance use treatment — a service that cities like Tucson are increasingly turning to in their strategies to end homelessness.

Coon noted that, because of support from grants, people can begin treatment even if they aren’t covered by Medicaid or other insurance, but eventually, providers try to get them coverage that requires identification and other documents. “We spend a lot of time circling to get vital documents,” she said.

An ID is only becoming more crucial amidst mounting efforts by the Trump administration to add bureaucratic hurdles for accessing social services.

In 2025, the federal government expanded the list of federally funded programs requiring verification of immigration status. Twenty-one states, including Arizona, successfully sued to block the policy change that they said would have burdened service providers as they effectively introduced new ID requirements. “These programs are not only relied on by noncitizens, but also many needy citizens who lack government identification and will no longer be able to access those programs,” the states’ lawsuit warned.

Nevertheless, in the face of federal funding pressure, Arizona has changed requirements for other services. In order to avoid new, potentially program-ending penalties for errors in awarding food-stamp benefits, Arizona substantially increased documentation people seeking assistance must provide. Hundreds of thousands of people have dropped from the program. While the decline has been steepest in Arizona, other states such as Louisiana and Oklahoma have also seen substantial drops.

For unhoused people, more pressure from the justice system can make it difficult to hold on to important documentation. Jurisdictions across the country have instituted camping bans after the Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that cities could enforce prohibitions on sleeping outdoors even when other shelter was unavailable.

“When cities destroy homeless communities, and throw away people’s belongings, people often lose the documents, the IDs that they need to get out of homelessness and find safe and stable housing,” said Jesse Rabinowitz, the campaign and communications director at the National Homelessness Law Center.

He argued that camping bans have led to more unhoused people sleeping outside without tents and changing location more frequently, increasing the risk that important documents could be lost or damaged.

The consequences of criminalizing homelessness can extend beyond the loss of identification. In some cases, unhoused people also risk losing their right to vote altogether.

Tennessee’s expanded camping ban, which predated the Supreme Court ruling, goes as far as making camping a felony, which results in the loss of voting rights. People who lost their voting rights due to convictions are often unaware of how they can restore their rights, just as people frequently misunderstand voter ID requirements.

ElGhaouti said those with felony convictions often believe they’ve lost their right to vote. However, the law is more nuanced. In Arizona, people convicted of a single felony have their voting rights automatically restored once they have been released from prison or completed probation and have paid all restitution fees. While not guaranteed, those with more convictions can apply to have their rights restored.

ElGhaouti tells people at a weekly parole orientation that while they must talk to a legal professional to check their status, there can be a pathway, or even automatic restoration, to their right to vote. “Some people get extremely excited,” ElGhaouti said. “They really recognize that participating in the process is the only way to have their voice heard.”

This story was produced by The Marshall Project and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.