I work with at risk youth here in Philly and run into this problem all the time. It is extremely frustrating for the kids who are just trying to actually make some progress in life (like go to college) and can't because they don't have the necessary paperwork for the process (many don't even have a birth certificate). Trying to navigate the bureaucracies is a nightmare when you have no experience with such things, as it sounds like you've discovered. You've received some good suggestions already. I'll just add that for some kids I've worked with, getting a voter id card was a helpful form of id and actually easy to get. If I remember correctly you'll need to provide the social security office with an address where they can mail the card and that address has to match an address on your id. That's where something like a voter registration card can be helpful.