Client Success
Client Success Stories
Names have been changed to protect the identity of our clients and maintain confidentiality.
Joan, estranged from her ex-husband due to domestic violence, found employment at a bank, but lost her job when an injury left her unable to work. She supported herself and 4 children on Social Security disability, SSI benefits, and a small amount of rental assistance from the city where she lived. Joan never received child support and knew she was unlikely to ever receive it. When she came to Prairie State, ComEd and NICOR had dramatically increased her bills by unlawfully charging her for utility services used by her ex-husband for a separate residence after their divorce. When she could not pay these utility bills, the electric company threatened to disconnect her utility. One of Joan’s children had asthma and needed a nebulizer, requiring electricity. ComEd would not accept a doctor’s note to keep the electricity on unless Joan agreed to pay $500 immediately and agreed to pay the remaining amount within 30 days. Lawyers at Prairie State helped Joan and her children stay in her home and avoid having her utilities disconnected.
Maria was in her mid-40s when she came to Prairie State, but she had been struggling with disabilities, such as schizophrenia, since her mid-20s. She was receiving Social Security disability benefits due to those disabilities. Maria should have received additional dependent benefits based on her father’s work history because her disability started before she turned 22. Nevertheless, the Social Security Administration denied her request for these additional benefits. In an administrative hearing, Prairie State lawyers had to prove that Maria was disabled before she turned 22 and that her limited work history did not disqualify her from getting dependent benefits from her father’s account. Prairie State presented evidence and convinced the judge, so Maria qualified for dependent benefits.
Linda was a resident of a section 8 project-based housing complex for over 20 years. While struggling with an untreated bipolar condition, she began displaying bizarre and annoying conduct on the premises. This led Linda’s landlord to file suit to evict her, threatening to make her homeless. Lawyers at Prairie State requested a reasonable accommodation for her disability – to postpone the eviction proceeding while Linda attended an inpatient treatment facility to stabilize her condition and to be followed up with medication and counseling. Linda received a postponement on this basis, the landlord monitored Linda’s progress, and later voluntarily dismissed the eviction case.
A local Housing Authority terminated the Housing Choice voucher of a 70-year-old man, Lawrence. The voucher enabled Lawrence to live in an apartment that he could afford. Lawrence had surgery for throat cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy treatments when the Housing Authority terminated his voucher. The Housing Authority took this action because Lawrence failed to report as income a small pension of $62 per month that he received for 5 years, which affected the amount of rent he was charged. Lawrence mistakenly believed that he previously reported this income as part of his Social Security income. However, the Housing Authority called it an intentional failure to report income. Prairie State Legal Services represented Lawrence at his administrative hearing on appeal and successfully proved that Lawrence made a mistake, which was not intentional. Based on Lawrence’s age and health challenges, Prairie State requested a reasonable accommodation so Lawrence can receive assistance with reporting at future redeterminations of eligibility for his voucher. The decision at the hearing was entirely in Lawrence’s favor, reversing the original decision to terminate his voucher, and allowing Lawrence to pay the difference in rent through a repayment plan. This allowed Lawrence to maintain his subsidized housing and avoid homelessness.