From Unfortunate Mistakes to Independence – G’s Story

G was born in early 1942 in rural SC at home by a midwife. Growing up in a small community, she never needed to prove who she was, pretty much everyone knew her. She grew up, got married and had her children in this small community.

Eventually, she and her husband moved to FL and started a new life here. This was still a time when you could just show your old ID and get a new one in your new home. After the passage of the Real ID Act, that was no longer the case, and we all had to show proof of who we were with our birth certificate, Social Security card, marriage record if applicable and proofs of address. Being a capable woman G ordered her birth certificate and dug out her marriage record when it was time to renew her license. Imagine her shock when SC sent back a letter telling her there was no record of her birth. As far as they were concerned, she did not exist.

This started a long process for G of trying to compile the required documents to prove she did exist. After she had everything the State of SC required, she sent all her certified documents to the state’s Vital Statistics and waited. What she got back was a rejection letter. It seems that there is a requirement that all the documents must be in 100% agreement with the vital statistics. G’s documents were a perfect storm of misfortune. On her school records, her birth date had just the 7 instead of 17 for the day. Her Social Security number had her place of birth misspelled. Her marriage record had a typo on her maiden name. The list of unfortunate mistakes went on. No three documents matched perfectly. Her only course of action was to go through the courts. At this point G was overwhelmed she didn’t know how to do this nor did she have the resources to do it, so she made an appointment with IDignity Seminole. That was a year and a half ago.

 After a year of collecting supporting documents and certifying documents, IDignity Seminole made a motion for an evidentiary hearing. G and our volunteer attorney appeared before the Court and presented all her documents. The judge made the determination that she is who she claims to be and entered an order for SC to issue a delayed birth certificate. At the age of 80 and 2 weeks G finally received the document that declares she officially exists. She is once again able to be the independent woman she was before she had to start depending upon others for rides, banking services and all the other things that having no ID kept her from using and participating in.

The Search for Sight – W’s Story

W is a gentleman nearing 80 who had gone almost totally blind due to cataracts. He had tried for years to get cataract surgery, but there was not an eye surgeon anywhere in Central Florida who would serve him without ID. W had worked as an itinerant farm worker from the age of 14 until almost 70.

W has not been able to get an ID since the enactment of the Real ID Act because he has no birth certificate. He was given away at birth, and raised first by the woman he was given to, and then by the mother of that woman. He had no idea what would be on his birth certificate or if there even was one.

After working with Vital Statistics in his home state and learning there was nothing for him, we went to work establishing his identity. This is a lengthy process of finding documents on him that can be traced back to a very early age. We got lucky and came across a very helpful records clerk in his school system. She was diligent and found his early school record from the 1940s. If any of you are at all familiar with this process, you will know how unusual it is to be able to get records for someone who never went to high school, no less from 75 years ago. Knowing the small community and the families in the area, she was able to fill us in on possible avenues to research like where he was likely to have been baptized etc. So, while there is no birth certificate for W, we were able to gather enough documentation on him to satisfy the State of FL DMS that he is who he says he is and they granted a waiver for W to get a FL ID. W was then able to get his surgery and can see again.

IDignity’s 2025 Year In Review

2023 Souper Douper Fundraiser

Watch IDignity’s Annual Souper Douper Fundraiser and hear Karelyn’s story of determination, hope, and identity. With your help IDignity is able to help thousands more like Karelyn, and bring awareness to the barrier that is the lack of legal identification. A barrier that leaves many with no way to obtain employment, proper healthcare, food, access to their bank account, and much more.

To donate click HERE! Help us reach our goal of $100,000, the equivalent of 4,000 Florida State ID cards.  Share this with your friends, family, and colleagues! Together, we can restore dignity and hope by providing identification.

Do You Remember Getting Your License?

Humberto’s Story

Humberto moved from Los Angels to Orlando to be closer to his 9-year-old daughter and ended up experiencing homelessness for two years. Now, Humberto resides at Pathways to Care after obtaining serious burns from a fire pit, one that nearly took his life if not for the help of a friend. Humberto came to IDignity for his Social Security card and birth certificate. He needs these documents to reach his end goal: securing a job. Humberto wants to give, explaining that he wishes to pull people out of the dark just as he was pulled out. When asked what it feels like being without his documents to now obtaining them he stated, “I feel like I’m living now, not existing. I’m living and I’m very grateful for everything I got.” 

Kiara’s Six Year Adventure

Kiara’s older sibling used to tell her she was adopted. A stranger at the DMV told her the same thing. It turns out, they were both wrong. When Kiara Fraizer was young, her older sister tried to convince her she was ‘born on a ship in a pile of doo-doo.’  Kiara wrote it off as annoying and typical sibling behavior and never thought it would come back to haunt her – until she went to obtain her Florida gold star ID. Born and raised in Ohio, Kiara never had any issues getting her ID, but when she showed the clerk her documents to obtain her Florida REAL ID it was clear something was wrong. Kiara’s last names on her Social Security card and birth certificate were different. One document had her father’s last name and the other had her mother’s last name. Confused and bewildered, Kiara could only stare at the two documents while the clerk attempted to explain why this could be happening.

“This [discrepancy] usually happens when you get an amended birth certificate, so you’re adopted,” the clerk told her.  Suddenly, she could hear her sister’s words taunting her, “You were born on a ship in a pile of doo-doo, and you were adopted!” But still, Kiara knew this was not true.

In fact, the reasoning for her mismatched documents was much simpler. Her parents had an argument and her dad’s name ended up being omitted from her birth certificate. Thus, the last name on her birth certificate was listed as her mother’s. However, when Kiara got her Social Security card, her last name was listed as her father’s. So there was no record of how her name went from Harris to Fraizer. Now, years later as a single mom with two kids, Kiara needed her gold star Florida ID since she is no longer a resident of Ohio. “I went [to apply] for rental assistance and I got denied because I didn’t have a Florida ID [my Ohio ID wouldn’t work]. Everything else went through but I didn’t have that ID.”

Proving Kiara Fraizer and Kiara Harris were one and the same became a struggle. Five years passed as Kiara searched for a way to fix her mismatched last names. Kiara spoke to her mom, who recommended IDignity where her mom had previously received her ID.

Kiara worked with the two lawyers on staff, Kelly and Sharlene (pictured above), for a few months. “The process just started immediately, no fees, no anything. They knew exactly what to do from day one. This was a big, big milestone because it was a hindrance in my life.”

After going in front of a judge to get her name change approved, Kiara was able to amend her birth certificate to list her last name as Fraizer. Now, Kiara is able to get her gold star Florida ID, be REAL ID compliant, and get her kids into school without any issues.

“They [school officials] want to see your birth certificate to prove you are their parent. I had to tell them the whole story. It looked like I was two people because I had two last names; my kids were Fraizer and I was Harris.”

Finally, after nearly six years, Kiara’s last name matched her identification documents. “[I] feel complete. Having Fraizer on my birth certificate makes me complete and whole with my dad and my family. I’m telling you, IDignity has completed my family. I can call my dad and tell him I will have Fraizer on my birth certificate now!”

In addition, Kiara can now tell her sister that she was NOT born on a ship in a pile of doo-doo!

Melanie and Jonah: Watch their story

 

After years of searching and wondering, Melanie and Jonah, mother and son had finally found each other. Together they came to IDignity looking for ID. Watch the vide below to hear their amazing story and how IDignity has been a part of their journey. This video was filmed by IDignity’s amazing partner, First Baptist Church of Orlando. Thank you First Baptist Orlando for your never-ending support and advocacy since day one!

Click Here to Watch Melanie and Jonah’s Story!

A Turning Point | Alex’s Story

Alex is a single mother. She was evicted from her apartment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid the chaos and stress of becoming homeless during a pandemic, Alex lost all her personal identification documents.

While trying to survive without a home for her and her infant son, and without any identification, she turned to drugs. That turn cost Alex everything, including custody of her boy.

Some months later, Alex came to IDignity. She was 63 days sober and recovering at a facility that helped her get clean, and get her son back. She needed her ID and her son’s birth certificate so she could find employment and get her son into daycare.

As she left Jackie’s Place to go pick up her son’s birth certificate from the Florida Health Department, she expressed her gratitude to the people who make IDignity possible. Alex said, “Thank you. It’s really hard, ya know, coming off the streets from being homeless, and losing everything, and trying to better our lives. So, this helps us better our lives and we greatly appreciate it because we couldn’t do it without you.”

Battling to Build a Better Life | Benny’s Story

Benny is originally from Naples but has always seen Orlando as a second home. He first came to live in Orlando 21 years ago.

Since then, Benny has battled being homeless. A combination of mental illness and drug addiction has made it difficult for him to stay off the streets.

In 2020, Benny was in Kentucky looking for work when he lost his driver’s license. With no options and no way to obtain a replacement, he returned to his second home. A few months later, he returned to IDignity for assistance replacing his ID. Just after that, he came back to replace his Florida birth certificate as well.

Benny’s hyperactivity disorder makes it hard for him to be idle, or not doing something. He says, “if I’m going to do something, I might as well do something that is going to benefit me.” Benny is currently trying to rebuild his life and these identification documents were the tools he needed to continue to pursue that goal.

After moving in with his niece just days ago, and now having his identification documents, Benny hopes to find work in the UCF area and is excited to start applying.