Nicor Gas Foundation commits $150,000 for legal services for underrepresented residents in Will, Winnebago counties
The Nicor Gas Foundation has made a $150,000 commitment to Prairie State Legal Services to ensure equal access to protections under the law to underrepresented residents in Will and Winnebago counties.
This signature gift will support the expansion of Prairie State Legal Services' current offerings of legal advice, advocacy and court representation to low-income residents who have a legal barrier to employment, as well as pro bono legal assistance to clients facing eviction and termination of housing subsidies.
"We are committed to supporting economic justice in our communities, and understand that across northern Illinois, many people cannot secure housing or employment without equal access to legal aid," said Meena Beyers, vice president of Business and Community Development at Nicor Gas. "We are proud to support Prairie State Legal Services' mission to remove these barriers in our communities while increasing physical and financial stability for our neighbors."
Additionally, with support from the Nicor Gas Foundation, Prairie State Legal Services will continue to enhance their legal services to promote job readiness program that focuses on the expungement and sealings of criminal records, certifications of good conduct, health care waivers and driver's license reinstatements, as well as their Housing Stability Services program which provides legal assistance on unfair evictions, loss of subsidies, sealing records and reducing owed rent.
To date, Prairie State Legal Services has served more than 1,750 clients with legal assistance in the areas of housing, health, safety and stability, while leveraging its relationships with social service agencies and local charities to provide additional nonlegal services to its clients.
"Prairie State Legal Services is incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Nicor Gas Foundation and their commitment to giving back to local communities," said Jennifer Luczkowiak, attorney and director of Development at Prairie State Legal Services. "This grant will be used to help support our housing stability and criminal record relief work in our Joliet and Rockford communities."
In 2021, Prairie State Legal Services successfully completed 79 job readiness and 332 housing stability cases. Learn more about Prairie State Legal Services, which has 11 office locations serving 36 counties in northern Illinois, at www.pslegal.org.
To learn more about Nicor Gas' commitment to the community, visit www.nicorgas.com/community.