Life for Americans without identifying documents can be financially devastating

Wealth & Poverty from Marketplace APM

When American-born children age out of foster care without identifying documents like birth certificates and state ID cards, their financial futures can be at stake. These young people may have trouble going to college, getting a job, or renting an apartment. In Texas, when kids in foster care turn 16, the law requires they get birth certificates, Social Security cards and state IDs, but that does not always happen. It can be hard to track down documents if biological parents are out of reach, or if children do not recall what name was on their birth certificate once they reach adulthood.