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. More than 16,000 cases are represented by our staff of 125 attorneys and more than 300 pro bono volunteers every year.
Client Success Stories
Meet Blake, a man in his 20s who lives with his girlfriend. Blake is battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. He recently grew concerned about the safety of his apartment because of flooding issues. Blake’s doc…
A Safe Home for Blake
Meet Delilah, a middle schooler who has lived with her foster family for three years. Delilah loves band class, but is struggling academically due to ADHD and unmet social emotional needs. Delilah’s foster parents…
An IEP for Delilah
Meet Paula, who lives in a Section 8 housing apartment. Paula’s landlord recently served her an eviction notice, alleging rule violations. That is when Paula turned to PSLS for help avoiding eviction and losing her…
A Home for Paula
Meet Laila, a young lady who grew up in a tight-knight, religious community. Unfortunately, Laila also grew up in an abusive home. Laila moved out of her childhood home after an incident of abuse, and got an order of pro…
A Safer Life for Laila
Meet Alicia, a working mother in her 40s with a disability. Alicia has received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for nearly two decades. Recently, Alicia stopped receiving the SSDI benefit because of an overp…
High-Quality Legal Services for Alicia
PSLS represented Robert*, a student victim of bullying in his middle school. His parents sought help convincing the school district to implement a safety plan that accommodated Robert’s emotional and post-trauma di…
Pursuing Justice for Robert
Leah*, a minor with a criminal record, wanted her record sealed or expunged. She is a high school dropout with a single charge on her record that was holding her back from finding a job. However, after caring for an ail…
Pursuing Justice for Leah
Monica got married young to her high school sweetheart. Monica thought she knew this person, but things changed over time and after the birth of their young son, she began to endure physical and verbal abuse from her hus…
Monica's Story
Julia grew up in a small rural Illinois town. She graduated high school and attended Northern Illinois University to pursue her dream of studying analytical chemistry. While at Northern Illinois University, she became a…
Julia's Story
Cristina is a proud mother of her son. Little did she know, she was in the midst of an ongoing emotionally abusive relationship with his father. This tension culminated when he acted out and committed violence on her son…
Cristina's Story
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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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