(Chicago)….. The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation announced today that it has awarded $465,721 in grants to twelve not-for-profit organizations that help Illinois residents by providing expanded access to legal information, advice and assistance. This funding, which comes from a state appropriation from the Illinois Department of Human Services, directly helps families in crisis, victims of domestic violence and senior citizens facing consumer fraud and health-related issues.

“Tens of thousands of people across the state will benefit from increased access to innovative and effective legal resources,” said Michael A. Pope, Illinois Equal Justice Fund President and a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery in Chicago. “Civil legal aid is a critical human service that helps people resolve urgent, non-criminal problems and makes a difference in their everyday lives.”

In order to reach the largest number of Illinois residents, the Foundation’s grants fund projects such as telephone hotlines for immediate legal advice and referrals; self-help legal desks in courthouses for guidance on simple legal matters; and dispute resolution centers for speedy and less expensive alternatives to litigation.

The Foundation was established by the Illinois Equal Justice Act, which was enacted in 1999. It sets forth a wide range of innovative, cost-effective initiatives to help low-income people understand the legal system and resolve their routine legal problems more effectively.

“Access to the justice system is an essential component of the social services safety net in Illinois,” said Linda Renee Baker, Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services. “With these grants, civil legal aid providers can help more people who have nowhere else to turn, protect their legal rights and improve their living situation.”

The organizations and their projects receiving the grants are listed on the following pages.

###

Illinois Equal Justice Foundation 2003 Grant Recipients

Center for Conflict Resolution (Chicago) – To assist thousands of people throughout Cook County in resolving a wide array of disputes through mediation ($32,000)

Chicago Legal Clinic (Chicago) – To provide education, resources and referrals for Cook County residents faced with foreclosure proceedings ($8,000)

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (Chicago) – To protect hundreds of children and young adults by serving as Guardian Ad Litem in Cook County guardianship cases ($27,500)

Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services (Chicago) – To help thousands of low-income and disadvantaged people in Cook County by providing general information on how to use the legal system, free legal advice and self-help materials, and referrals when necessary through a telephone hotline ($45,000); To assist unrepresented parties with information and guidance in the Domestic Relations branch of the Cook County Circuit Court ($8,000)

Kankakee Center for Conflict Resolution/Victims Assistance Center (Kankakee) – To assist people throughout Kankakee County by providing mediation services on a broad range of issues ($8,000)

Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation (Alton, Springfield, Mt. Vernon and Champaign)– To serve thousands of low-income people in 65 counties in southern and central Illinois by providing general information on how to use the legal system, free legal advice and self-help materials, and referrals when necessary through a telephone hotline ($45,000); To help elderly people in 13 counties in central and southern Illinois by providing legal assistance for elder abuse and neglect, guardianship, health and long-term care, and consumer issues through senior centers, nursing homes and home visits ($30,000); To provide information and assistance to low-income people with landlord/tenant issues in the Sangamon County courthouse and to offer resources to unrepresented litigants in the Champaign County courthouse with small claims, housing and family law matters ($13,621)

Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services (Chicago) – To help low income parents and children throughout Cook County collect unpaid child support ($27,500)

Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (Chicago) – To protect elderly people throughout Cook County against consumer fraud by providing information and legal assistance ($40,000); To help victims of domestic violence in 22 western suburbs of Cook County by providing information, advice and legal assistance ($40,000)

Prairie State Legal Services (Galesburg, Bloomington, Rock Island, Carol Stream & Waukegan) – To serve thousands of low-income people in 29 counties in northern and central Illinois by providing general information on how to use the legal system, free legal advice and self-help materials, and referrals when necessary through a telephone hotline ($45,000); To serve senior citizens and victims of domestic violence in six counties around Galesburg by offering information, advice and legal assistance ($14,000); To provide legal assistance to the elderly and to families confronting domestic violence in McLean, Livingston and Woodford Counties ($14,000); To offer the public legal information, forms and Internet-based materials through a Community Access Center at the Lake County Courthouse ($16,100); To assist senior citizens and families in crisis in Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside counties and the Illinois half of the Quad Cities ($10,000)

Southern Illinois University School of Law/Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic (Carbondale) – To help low-income families and children to resolve custody and visitation issues by providing mediation services in 13 counties in southern Illinois ($8,000)

Southern Illinois University School of Law/Self Help Legal Center (Carbondale) – To serve thousands of people in 16 counties in rural southern Illinois by providing access to legal information by mail, Internet, and in-person, including placing Internet terminals at libraries and Circuit Clerk’s offices for direct access to the Center’s services ($9,000)

Will County Legal Assistance Program (Joliet) – To support victims of domestic violence in Will County by providing comprehensive legal services to facilitate their permanent escape from abuse ($25,000)

Home

About Prairie State

Legal Help and Information

Office Locations and Services

Participate with Prairie State