Welcome to
Prairie State Legal Services
Since 1977, Prairie State Legal Services (PSLS) has fought to achieve equal justice for people living in poverty across 36 counties in Northern and Central Illinois. We operate 11 offices, with locations in Bloomington, Galesburg, Joliet, Kankakee, Moline, Ottawa, Peoria, Rockford, Waukegan, West Suburban (West Chicago), and Woodstock. PSLS celebrates more than 45 years of service to those in need.
Our Work
We dedicate our work to individuals and families who have depleted resources for basic human needs, ultimately securing safe housing, food, income, and personal safety.
Meet Casey, a licensed Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in his 30s. Casey earned a living as a CNA until his life went through a difficult period that included for a time substance abuse and arrests. Casey has since tur…
Starting Anew with Casey
Meet Felix, a public housing resident in his 60s. Felix lost his job during the pandemic when he became too sick to work. Felix reported his change in income to the leasing office, but the office took longer than expecte…
Helping Felix with Housing
Meet Sandy, an older adult with serious mental health issues who relies on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and her family’s assistance to meet her basic needs. Sandy’s sibling reached out to PSLS when Sand…
Reinstating SSI Benefits for Sandy
Hear from Zayra, a domestic violence survivor. PSLS was honored to walk the legal journey with Zayra, and help her and her family find a safer life.
Zayra's Story
Meet Tiffany, a veteran and an older adult in her 80s who relies on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for her health benefits. Tiffany’s VA priority group changed after she made a financial investment. A…
VA Benefits for Tiffany
Meet Jefferson, an older adult who has lived in his home for more than 20 years. A few years ago, Jefferson got sick and had to stop working. That’s when he started to fall behind on his monthly mortgage payments.…
A Home for Jefferson
Meet Nancy and her emotional support dog, Rolo. After a brain injury, Nancy relies on Rolo for support throughout each day. Rolo helps Nancy cope with mental and physical health challenges. When Nancy and Rolo were denie…
Support for Nancy
Meet Deborah, a Illinoisan who struggles with mental health and substance abuse challenges. Deborah received a notice terminating her Section 8 housing voucher due to several incidents relating to her behavior. If Debora…
A Helping Hand for Deborah
Meet Zach. When Zach was in his late teens, he made a mistake and ended up with a felony conviction for cannabis on his record. Zach shared that this happened during a challenging time in his life – both emotionall…
Opening the Doors for Zach
Meet Janice, an older adult with a disability and a non-English speaker. Janice is a victim of fraud and identity theft, which led to more than $40,000 in unauthorized credit card debt. Janice turned to PSLS for help fig…
A Voice for Janice
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Prairie State Legal Services provides free legal help to people who need it most and can afford it least.
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