The Identification Crisis Collaborative

NEOCH helps people with low income in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, to obtain their identification documents through our program called The Identification Crisis Collaborative.

The ID Crisis Collaborative (IDCC) consists of 30+ sites including churches, community groups and agencies in Cuyahoga County. The program serves the needs of people with low income and who are unhoused. We assist in obtaining documents – certified Birth Certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, , changing names, and Ohio residency forms (identification documents) and State of Ohio IDs, State of Ohio Driver’s Licenses and Commercial Driver’s Licenses replacements and renewals (IDs). 

The importance of identification in navigating systems and obtaining basic needs cannot be overstated. Currently, IDs are required to work, to get medical care and tests, to open a bank account, to apply for college or post-high school training, to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to get a work permit for teens, to register to vote and to vote in person in Cuyahoga County, to enroll your 5-year-old in Kindergarten. Moreover, IDs and certified Birth Certificates are required for every person living in a household to get HEAP and for every person intended to be on the lease of a subsidized home or apartment.   

Every aspect of life today requires official State ID or a Driver’s License. People who are struggling financially often do not have access to basic documents, family connections, transportation, a safe place to store documents or funds for documents. Paying

To find one of the IDCC’s 30+ sites nearest you, please call United Way’s First Call For Help by dialing 211 on any phone in Cuyahoga County. Ask for us by name (the Identification Crisis Collaborative) or just ask for help getting a Birth Certificate, a State ID or a Driver’s License. Provide 211 with the zip code where you are staying.

To get info about a site call 211, United Way’s First Call for Help.

To contact the Director of the IDCC, Eileen Kelly, please e-mail to EKelly@neoch.org.