State-by-State Resource

This report reviews the status of current law in 13 key issue areas that affect the lives and future prospects of unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness in all 50 U.S. states and six territories (unless otherwise noted). The report offers an overview of the range of approaches taken by states since the last update in 2012.

The Field Guide is intended to be a toolkit for service providers to be able to have a state-by-state look at what is required in their state for obtaining not only ID, but also proof of Social Security numbers, and Birth Certificates. This guide is filtered for the documents most likely to be accessible to minors experiencing homelessness, but can be used for young adults as well.

The Summary provides an overview of the issues facing minors attempting to obtain ID while experiencing homelessness. It also includes recommended language state or local advocates can use as model policy language, based on existing language that has proven successful. It is a great tool to reference when changing state laws or regulations.

The Appendix is the unabridged listing of all documents accepted in any respective state and includes documents young adults are much more likely to have access to.