Want to snag an appointment for NYC’s coveted ID card? Join the Friday PM rush.

Published Mar 20, 2024 at 5:01 a.m. ET

Share

 

Published Mar 20, 2024 at 5:01 a.m. ET

Share

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2024. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Appointments for New York City’s municipal identification cards are getting harder to snag as demand for the popular photo IDs surges, but some nonprofit groups helping people apply say they’ve finally cracked the code for how to secure a coveted slot.

The trick is to rush to sign up within minutes after slots are released online or via 311 every Friday afternoon, according to nonprofit providers who spoke with Gothamist. The sign-up rush is reminiscent of what it was like to schedule COVID-19 vaccines when they first became available, or to purchase tickets to a big concert.

“By 3 p.m. I'm on my desk, I'm getting reminders 15 minutes prior to the openings,” said Sheyna Molina, 23, a benefits specialist with the nonprofit Center for Family Life in Sunset Park. “I can make about five to 10 appointments depending on how many clients I have. And then after that, there's no more. After that, they run out.”

Sheyna Molina, a benefits specialist with the Center for Family life in Sunset Park, counts down until 3 p.m. every Friday when appointments become available.

The IDNYC program, which first launched in 2015, provides New Yorkers with identification to show police or employers, and also helps them open bank accounts or enter their children's schools. City officials said that since the Adams administration took office, it has significantly altered the program to respond to budget needs and rising demand.

The city slashed $1 million in spending during budget cuts last year, closed enrollment centers and eliminated walk-in options. Appointments can now only be made online or by calling 311.

The program's changes come amid an increase of new arrivals who rely on the IDs for some form of identification as they await work permits or a change in their immigration status. While Adams administration officials say the changes have made IDNYC more efficient, nonprofit groups and some members of the City Council say they've snarled wait times for obtaining identification cards and delayed a crucial program that helps New Yorkers access services.

“If I see the demand is growing that tells me we need more of what we are supplying,” Deputy Council Speaker Diana Ayala said during a budget hearing earlier this month. The Bronx, which she represents, has one remaining IDNYC enrollment center and had as many as 10 in 2017, Gothamist found.

Officials with the Department of Social Services, which runs the program, said the administrative cost reductions haven’t affected the number of cards issued and enrollment center closures are part of a consolidation plan to maximize capacity.

“We continue to process more applications and issue more IDNYC cards to eligible New Yorkers,” DSS spokesperson Nicholas Jacobelli said. He said the city could expand capacity by transitioning to appointments only and operating fewer enrollment centers.

Data provided by DSS shows that about 108,200 IDNYC cards were issued between July and January, compared to the roughly 103,900 cards issued in the same period the year prior. Roughly 120,000 IDNYC applications were processed in the first seven months of the fiscal year, compared to 111,000 the year before.

Scott French, the administrator for the Human Resources Administration that is part of DSS, told city councilmembers earlier this month that 6,800 appointments are released for the following week every Friday, and most are scheduled online.

That’s when workers for the Center for Family Life kick into gear, going through the waitlist of clients who requested IDNYC appointments earlier in the week when none were available.

“3 o'clock is go time,” Molina said.

She has blue sticky notes denoting clients who want appointments. Molina refreshes the city website at 3 p.m., plugs in each client’s info, selects the earliest time available and closest borough locations, and quickly calls them to confirm that the available appointment slot works.

“Once they see their card, they see New York ID, they feel like they already have something that belongs to them, but also it's like New York is part of them, too,” she said.

Celedonia Hernandez, a Brooklyn resident who has lived in the city for three years, said she was unable to get an appointment by calling 311 despite trying to do so for a month. Hernandez works at a factory packing shampoo and makeup, and said she needed an appointment for herself, her son and her partner to obtain IDs they could show at work.

“Here they ask us for an ID from the city,” said Hernandez. “My boss is asking me for it.”

There was an IDNYC center near her home and four blocks from the Center for Family Life that used to take walk-ins, but city website data shows that it closed this year. There were as many as 29 IDNYC enrollment centers in 2017; now there are just 10 across the five boroughs, Gothamist found.

Daniela Juarez Teoyotl, benefits specialist with the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, jots down a client's information to help her sign up for an IDNYC appointment once slots open later on Friday.

While the program's supporters say the city’s move to shut down walk-in availability simplified the process and prevented people from having to wait in early morning lines or overnight in the cold for an ID, they added that the city should expand availability to meet the need.

DSS officials said they’ve established pop-up enrollment sites at migrant shelters and that demand has steadied in recent weeks, meaning that appointments are sometimes available by Monday at some locations.

Workers at Harlem-based nonprofit African Communities Together said they stopped trying to make appointments for their clients in January because it was impossible to find any.

“There was no appointments,” said Assitan Makadji, the nonprofit's community navigator. She said so many people come to African Communities Together for help that the nonprofit didn’t have time to keep searching for availabilities.

Now African Communities Together gives new arrivals a QR code directing them to the city website where they can sign up for appointments, and advises them to try on Fridays.

“It’s unfortunate really because people are in need of support and all the help they get and having an ID, it’s one of the most important things you could have on you as a person,” said Fatoumata Barry, also with African Communities Together. “Most of them come through the border and some of them lose their papers and passports. At least having an ID is some sense of relief.”

Tagged

Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email kyi@wnyc.org or Signal 917-589-1460.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

Police say no injuries have been reported, but the man has taken thousands of dollars on jewelry and other valuables.

Published Mar 20, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. ET

Demand for free preschool seats for 3-year-olds exceeds supply in nearly half of New York City ZIP codes.

Demand for free preschool seats for 3-year-olds exceeds supply in nearly half of New York City ZIP codes.

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts, events and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio.