HPL began conducting outreach visits to bring library services to marginalized members of our community, including the unhoused and those in need of connection to social services. Through our work, we found that IDs posed the most significant barrier for patrons seeking to obtain housing and social services. An ID opens doors to help and grants dignity and a sense of identity to those being marginalized. We also found that barriers such as cost and transportation were impacting our patrons’ ability to get an ID.

Project ID represents our efforts to assist patrons with the process of getting an ID and the vital documents necessary, as well as our advocacy efforts in the city. We partnered with The Hoboken Shelter, City of Hoboken, and HOPES CAP Inc. to ensure patrons could receive application fee waivers, free transportation, and a mailing address to receive their IDs. The Library hosts monthly Project ID Workshops with assistance from our community partners and distributes printed Project ID Roadmaps.

Since July 2022, we have assisted 48 patrons with obtaining vital documents and IDs. As we better understand the barriers our patrons face to obtaining their IDs, we have advocated to our local elected officials and the Office of Constituent Services, whose social work team has worked closely with ours to deliver services. This program has elevated public awareness of the Library’s as a community hub and critical social service access point. We have gained recognition from the City of Hoboken for the impact we’ve made.