FAIRBORN — Local outreach organization Inclusive Fairborn is partnering with Premiere Health and Emanuel Ministries to start the Fairborn ID Project.
Thanks to a $2,500 grant from Premiere Health, Fairborn Inclusive hopes to pay for 100 unhoused members of Fairborn to get a new Ohio ID or birth certificate.
Founder of Inclusive Fairborn and organizer for this project, who goes by “A, said they started this project after connecting with community members and recognizing the roadblocks unhoused individuals have with obtaining a government ID, mainly an inability to fill out paperwork requiring proof of address.
“With our other events connecting with the community, and especially with our unhoused neighbors,” A said. “One thing that kept coming up was that they don’t have an ID.”
For unhoused individuals, providing proof of address can be an extremely difficult process, according to A. Proof of address must be signed off by an appropriate agency, such as a homeless shelter or religious institution.
Inclusive Fairborn does not fill this requirement, so it partnered with Emmanuel Ministries to both host the event at a physical location and complete the necessary paperwork.
Organizers hope to expand the program in the future.
“It’s one of the few fundamental things you need to get started in life,” said A. “We’re just using this as a precedent for hopefully something even larger in the future.”
In Ohio, a valid ID is required in order for someone to apply for a job, get governmental aid, apply for housing, open a bank account, and so much more. For someone unhoused with no connections, this program can be the difference between years without a home and a fresh start.
“It becomes a barrier that keeps people in poverty,” said A.
A driver’s licence or government ID is free, but a birth certificate includes a $25 fee, according to A. The grant money will go entirely to paying this fee as well as gas money that will drive unhoused locals too and from the BMV.
Inclusive Fairborn is hoping to begin the project by late September, but no official date has been released yet. The organization is currently looking for volunteers to help with the additional work. Those interested in becoming a volunteer can reach out at inclusivefairborn.com.
The goal, according to A, is to give these disenfranchised individuals the tools they need to be successful in their community, and A believes community projects like this let that happen.
“We’re not going to turn people away,” A said.
Contact Ethan Charles at 937-502-4532.
