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Foundation funds group over ID rules

Published December 16, 2006 at midnight

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Denver's Rose Community Foundation is jumping into the maze of new rules governing how a person proves he or she is a legal citizen.

The foundation on Friday said it is giving $120,000 to Colorado Legal Services to help those eligible for Medicaid and other public services establish their identities and citizenship.

Colorado Legal Services, which helps low-income people with legal issues, has joined with the Denver Department of Human Services, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Metro CareRing to form the Citizen ID Collaboration Project.

"Many of our most vulnerable and low-income citizens have been caught in a 'perfect storm' created by new federal and state identification and citizenship requirements," said Linda Olson, project director.

Those who have had a particularly hard time proving their identities include elderly people born in rural areas, some American Indians, the homeless, those who have lost their papers because of natural disasters, and citizens born to immigrant mothers.