State lawmakers are pushing for reforms to the process by which homeless individuals obtain state identification required to, among many other things, enter government buildings, get jobs and acquire housing.

The bill would waive any fees associated with obtaining a state ID card sought by homeless youth and adults in Massachusetts, and let them use alternative documentation to prove residency despite not having a permanent address.

“We need a better way to show that they exist,” said Sen. Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, a sponsor of the bill’s Senate version.

That alternative documentation would be provided by human service agencies — homeless shelters and health care centers — in place of established criteria to prove residency. Chandler estimates the fee waiver would only cost the state a couple hundred thousand dollars.

The state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles processes requests for and distributes the state ID cards, which cost $25. Proponents of the bill say that fee is too great for homeless populations, creating significant barriers to obtaining employment, housing, educational opportunities and an array of other services.

“A state ID provides for basic needs,” said state Rep. Kay Khan, a Newton Democrat. “And it’s especially problematic for LGBTQ youth who, despite comprising 10 percent of the state’s population, represent 22 percent of the homeless population.”

Khan said there are roughly 1,000 or so homeless individuals across the state currently without an ID.

The bill would apply to adults and “unaccompanied homeless youth” under the age of 24, or those of that age or younger not in the custody or care of a parent or legal guardian.

The legislation passed the Senate last summer, but didn’t make it through the House before recess.