Legal-aid 'ID Project' pays for records, helps people rebuild after displacement and disaster

Colorado Legal Services’ grant-funded ID Project helps people replace or obtain vital documents — from birth certificates to Social Security evidence — that advocates say are prerequisites for work, housing, medical insurance and public benefits.

Casey Sherman, supervising attorney of the ID Project, told Talk Justice that the program pays for records for eligible low-income clients and is often the only practical way for people without ID to re-enter systems that require proof of identity, residency and citizenship. "We're creating self sufficiency," Sherman said, "We're helping people get housed, get employed, get health care, open businesses."

Steven Reed, a staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, described similar work done under other grants and disaster contexts, including veterans-focused projects (SSVF) where clients from out of state or those who are unstably housed often lose identifying documents during sweeps or evacuations. Reed said legal aid frequently serves as "the gateway to benefits," helping clients prove ownership, occupancy or identity to FEMA, HUD or other programs when records are missing.

Program details and numbers: Sherman said the ID Project helped about 1,000 people last year. She described the program as low overhead with wide downstream benefits; obtaining a birth certificate often costs only about $20, she said. Reed and Sherman also discussed that expungement filings and related legal work can cost substantially more on a per-case basis (Reed said grant support for expungement can be around $700 per filing).

How it works: For routine record requests some people can use relatives to order records, Sherman said, but when applicants have no network or no identity proof, attorneys step in to request records, compile substitute evidence, or press agencies to accept alternative proof. Reed described a stage where "you start knocking on the agency's door" and show how substitute documents satisfy HUD or grant requirements.

Disaster recovery: Reed gave examples where utility bills, titles or wills are lost to flood, mold or debris, and agencies may require narrowly defined documents to prove occupancy or ownership. Legal advocates attempt to assemble alternative evidence, explain the disaster context to administrators and, where possible, secure benefits that would otherwise be denied.

Speakers emphasized the program’s broader economic benefits: restoring access to work, tax contributions and benefits streams, and reducing long-term costs tied to unemployment and lack of insurance.

The episode closed with a reminder that guests’ opinions are their own and the podcast does not provide legal advice.