North City Photo ID Project

Through the North City Photo ID Project, the Ashrei Foundation offers assistance to people who live in St. Louis by offering guidance on the process of applying for a Missouri non-driver photo identification card, including acquiring the required documentation. For many people, this means obtaining a certified copy of their birth certificate. The Ashrei Foundation will also cover the cost of obtaining this kind of ID and a birth certificate issued anywhere in the United States.

A series of intersecting laws and policies exist that simultaneously control which Missourians are able to obtain government-issued photo identification (ID), while also restricting access to an increasing number of health and social services to individuals who can produce a valid ID. Many Missourians cannot readily produce the proof of identity documents and navigate the systems required to obtain an ID, disproportionately impacting communities of color, the elderly and homebound, people navigating residential instability, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. Possession of a valid photo ID is not only necessary to access a multitude of services, including health insurance, housing, employment, banking/credit, and public benefits, but is now required to vote in Missouri. These essential resources and services are crucial steps toward reducing health inequities and disrupting generational cycles of poverty.

This direct work has given us the opportunity to observe the systemic issues around ID access firsthand, and has led us to join collective efforts to eliminate barriers to IDs and all the services and necessities bound up with ID access. We are active members of the Missouri State ID Access Coalition, where we collaborate with stakeholders across the state to address these injustices through programmatic and legislative changes.

We are thankful to partner with the Tabernacle Community Development Corporation to offer this project out of the Hub in North St. Louis City.

To download a PDF of our Year 1 Report, please click the image above.

Why is this important?

Access is power.

A complex web of laws and policies exist that simultaneously control who can get a photo ID in Missouri while also increasing the need to have one. An increasing number of health and social services are now only available to individuals who can show a valid photo ID. Possession of a valid photo ID is not only necessary to access a multitude of services, including health insurance, housing, employment, banking/credit, and public benefits, but now, since the passage of House Bill 1878 last year, is also required to vote in Missouri. These essential resources and services are crucial steps toward reducing health inequities and disrupting generational cycles of poverty. We know that barriers to a government-issued ID and the resources linked with those IDs are rooted in processes that produce and reproduce health and social inequities.

Many Missourians cannot readily produce the required documents or successfully navigate the complex systems required to obtain an ID, disproportionately impacting communities of color, the elderly and homebound, people navigating residential instability, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals.

Our Services

We provide a voucher and/or check to pay for non-real non-driver photo IDs and/or Birth Certificates from any state in the United States. We provide guidance on the NEXT STEPS to secure official, government-issued identification. We offer Proof of Residency (if needed) and are able to receive approved IDs and Birth Certificates in the mail to our office. We offer free one-day bus passes to facilitate obtaining these documents, while supplies last. We help individuals confirm and/or update their voter registration, if eligible. We treat everyone with dignity and respect.

At this time, we are NOT able to offer any of the following services: we do not accept any other form of mail on behalf of guests at our office; we do not help with housing or utilities; we do not directly assist with any other services beyond IDs and birth certificates. We will do our best to refer individuals to additional area organizations that might be able to meet these or other needs. 

Get Involved

We offer weekly appointments on most Thursdays. To make an appointment, please call or text 314-252-8060. Occasionally, we will offer walk-in clinics; requests for off-site clinics will be considered on a case-by-case basis.