Step by step, in plain words.
Nobody hands you a manual for this. These are the documents you will be asked for, what you are entitled to, and the order that saves the most repeat trips. No account, nothing saved, and Bridge never holds a document for you.
Written by the Student Civic Leaders cohort from the public guidance of the agencies that issue these documents, and each guide lists the sources it used. It is information, not legal or financial advice. Fees and rules change, so the agency's own page is always the one to believe.
Leaving care
Documents
Get your birth certificate
The document almost every other document asks for first.
Replace your Social Security card
You need the number for work. You rarely need the card itself.
Get an Ohio state ID
Proof of who you are, without needing to drive.
Get a driver's licence
Longer than an ID, and the reason many jobs stay out of reach without it.
Get your school transcripts
Proof of what you finished, which employers and colleges both ask for.
Get your medical records
Your own health history, which you have a right to.
Get a passport
Not urgent for most people, and the strongest ID you can hold.
Open a bank account and handle taxes
Somewhere your wages can land that does not charge you to hold them.