Prairie State's Ready to Work Project receives $725,000 grant

A $725,000 grant from the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois will support Prairie State Legal Services' Ready to Work Project for another 18 months.

The project provides free legal help to individuals seeking to overcome barriers to employment.

The Ready to Work Project is available in Prairie State's offices in Waukegan (serving Lake County), Peoria (serving Fulton, Marshall, Peoria, Stark and Tazewell counties), Galesburg (serving Henderson, Knox, McDonough and Warren counties), Bloomington (serving McLean, Livingston and Woodford counties), and Joliet (serving Grundy and Will counties).

Through this project, attorneys assist individuals who are unable to get a job due to obstacles like a criminal record, loss of a driver's license, difficulty obtaining an occupational license, lack of access to transportation, and child care issues.

Those seeking to contact Prairie State's Ready to Work Project should contact their local office.

A listing of offices can be found at www.pslegal.org/psls-locations.asp.

With 12 office locations serving 36 counties in northern and central Illinois, Prairie State Legal Services Inc. works to ensure equal access to justice and fair treatment under the law by providing legal advice and representation, advocacy, education, and outreach that serve to protect basic human needs and enforce or uphold rights.

It provides free legal services for low-income persons and those ages 60 and older who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them.

Prairie State Legal Services Inc. began serving clients in 1977. It started with five offices in Geneva (Kane County), Waukegan (Lake County), Bloomington (McLean County), Peoria (Peoria County), and Rockford (Winnebago County). The staff consisted of 15 attorneys, three paralegals, and one or two support persons in each office.

Visit www.pslegal.org for more information.