SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A pair of new laws that took effect Monday allow those experiencing homelessness the opportunity to get a state-issued non-driver’s ID card and a birth certificate free of charge.
Julie Becker, CEO of the St. Francis House, advocated for the bill during the legislative session and spoke with KELOLAND Wednesday about the impact of the pair of new laws.
“Two legislators came together and presented these two bills (these being Democratic Rep. Kadyn Wittman and Republican Rep. Tyler Tordsen),” said Becker. “Really, they go hand in hand because you need to have two forms of identification to be able to not only get a job, but you have to have them if you want to apply for housing or simply even to cash a payroll check.”
The new laws allow the fee to be waived for a person experiencing homelessness just once in order to obtain, for free, an ID card or a birth certificate. Becker noted that some people question how a person could lose something like a birth certificate.
“Well, when you’re leaving a domestic situation, sometimes the last thing you want to remember is, oh, I forgot to grab my birth certificate out of the box that’s in my closet,” Becker reasoned.
At the St. Francis House, the guests include those who have recently left the prison system.
“When new guests come to the St. Francis House, one of the first things that we do is make sure that they have their legal documents and if they don’t have them prior,” Becker said.
The St. Francis House has a fund that is used to help pay for different types of documentation, said Becker, which typically costs $15 to $28.
While this sum does not seem like a high bar, it is money that some do not have, and which cumulatively adds up for organizations like the St. Francis House.
“I mean, we were talking anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 a year that we were spending assisting individuals,” Becker said.
While $15 here or $18 there doesn’t seem like much of a break, Becker mentions that it adds up for the state too.
“We just ended our fiscal year and we celebrated last Sunday with the guests with an ice cream party,” said Becker. “Our guests had paid off a total of $563,000 from July 1st of 2023 to June 30th of 2024 — the return on investment is pretty high because all of that was to South Dakota, whether it be back child support, restitution, fines, medical bills, utility bills, landlords, all of that stayed right here in our state.”
The laws have been in effect for only three days so far, but in that time, Becker says they’ve had two guests, newly released from the prison system, get their IDs at no cost.
“The state has helped two individuals from the St. Francis House get their ID and ironically, both were offered jobs today,” she said, adding that they would need those documents to actually start their jobs.
“I just really am proud of our state that we are helping some of the individuals who really are seeking a hand up. And this is a great tool to be able to give someone is their state ID and their birth certificate,” Becker said. “So I say job well done.”
