DMV ID program 'Homebound' back up after 5 on Your Side involvement

It's pretty important to have an ID. How 5 on Your Side and the DMV teamed up to get one to a woman who is homebound.

Posted 12:43 p.m. Sep 1, 2022 — Updated 11:49 p.m. Sep 5, 2022

RALEIGH, N.C. — For about a decade, North Carolina’s Division of Motor Vehicles has offered the Homebound program, which helped people who couldn’t leave their homes obtain an ID card. The program was especially useful for those with severe disabilities or members of the aging population who were unable to leave their homes.

Like many other programs, Homebound paused during the pandemic but many people like Becky Romaine’s 93-year-old mother still needed it. Romaine’s mother lives with disabilities and doesn’t leave her home but needs an ID for things like bank transactions and medical care.

Romaine tried to get her mother an ID through the DMV’s Homebound program but was told the only option was to bring her mother into a DMV office. This was impossible. Romaine called the DMV and reached out DMV commissioner Wayne Goodwin’s office but didn’t have any luck until she reached out to Five On Your Side.

Five On Your Side reached back out to the DMV and was able to connect Romaine with the right people. After filling out some forms and getting a doctor’s note Romaine was able to get the ID for her mother.

As of this publication the Homebound program is back up. For more information click here.

“To be eligible for homebound assistance, the resident must present a letter from a physician certifying that the resident is homebound and must, as described above, provide proof of age and identity, a valid Social Security number and proof of citizenship and residency,” according to the DMV’s website.

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