Grants 2006
For 2006, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation made grants totaling $1.9 million to 20organizations. In some cases a single recipient received grants in more than one funding category. The grant recipients, along with a description of the purpose of the grant(s), are listed below:
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic ($32,000)
Chicago
To assist hundreds of low-income people with their family law problems ($12,000);
To assist individuals wishing to expunge arrest records and/or seal non-violent, misdemeanor convictions ($20,000).
Center for Analysis of Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems ($32,000)
Statewide
To conduct an analysis of appropriate mediation delivery models by which mediation can be used to improve access to justice for low-income residents of Illinois.
Center for Conflict Resolution ($75,000)
Chicago
To assist thousands of people throughout Cook County in resolving a wide array of disputes through mediation.
Center for Disability and Elder Law ($10,000)
Chicago
To support a Pro Bono Coordinator position to provide legal services to elderly people in Chicago.
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless ($15,000)
Chicago
To provide outreach and legal information on education rights to homeless youth.
Chicago Legal Clinic ($49,000)
Chicago
To provide education, resources and referrals for Cook County residents faced with foreclosure proceedings at an Advice Desk in the Cook County Circuit Court.
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services ($60,000)
Chicago
To protect hundreds of children by serving as Guardian Ad Litem in Cook County probate guardianship cases ($50,000);
To support a Clinic Administrator position to coordinate the clinic pro bono program ($10,000).
Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services ($225,000)
Chicago
To help thousands of low-income people in Cook County by providing legal advice, self-help materials, guidance on how to use the court system and referrals through a telephone hotline ($175,000);
To assist unrepresented parties with advice, information and form preparation at the Domestic Relations Self-Help Desk ($30,000) and at the Collections Self-Help Desk ($20,000) in the Cook County Circuit Court.
Equip for Equality ($45,000)
Chicago, Rock Island & Springfield
To provide legal information on the American with Disabilities Act, special education and guardianship to people with disabilities across the state through their Training Institute.
Illinois Legal Aid Online ($125,000)
Statewide
To support a Statewide Virtual Self-Help Center that provides Illinois residents with user-friendly online legal resources and interactive forms to help them better resolve their legal problems and which coordinates, supports and provides technical assistance to self-help and legal information projects across the state.
Kankakee Center for Conflict Resolution/Victims Assistance Center ($34,000)
Kankakee
To assist people throughout Kankakee County in resolving a wide array of disputes through mediation.
Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing ($15,000)
Chicago
To support a Pro Bono Coordinator and a Legal Assistant position to increase and improve pro bono representation of low-income defendants facing eviction and other housing matters.
Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation ($428,000)
Alton, Champaign, East St. Louis, Carbondale and Springfield
To serve thousands of low-income people in 65 counties in central and southern Illinois by providing legal advice, self-help materials, guidance on how to use the court system and referrals through a telephone hotline ($175,000);
To help elderly people in 25 counties in central and southern Illinois by providing legal assistance for elder abuse and neglect, guardianship, health and long-term care issues and consumer matters through senior centers, nursing homes and home visits ($50,000);
To provide low-income people in 65 counties with representation on family ($100,000) and housing ($65,000) law cases;
To provide information and assistance to low-income people with landlord/tenant issues in Madison ($6,000), Champaign ($7,400), Morgan and Sangamon County Circuit Courts ($9,700);
To provide instruction on divorce issues to additional low-income residents of Southern Illinois through a video collaboration with Southern Illinois University Law School and Shawnee Community College ($5,600).
To plan a Self-Help Center in Madison County ($9,300).
Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services ($65,000)
Chicago
To protect and support families on the south side of Chicago in which grandparents are assuming full-time parenting roles and to protect seniors abused by guardians and caregivers.
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago ($175,000)
Chicago
To protect elderly people throughout Cook County against consumer fraud by providing information and legal assistance ($80,000);
To help victims of domestic violence in 22 western Cook County suburbs by providing information, advice and legal assistance ($65,000);
To help low-income families with housing issues in the south suburbs ($30,000).
Life Span Center for Legal Services ($25,000)
Chicago
To support a bilingual paralegal position on the northwest side of Chicago to provide domestic violence and family law assistance to battered immigrant women.
Midwest Center for Law and the Deaf ($5,000)
Statewide
To plan a web-based self-help center featuring American Sign Language to assist deaf and hard of hearing people with their legal needs.
Prairie State Legal Services ($398,000)
Carol Stream, Waukegan, Galesburg, Peoria, Ottawa, Batavia and St. Charles
To serve thousands of low-income people in 35 counties in northern and central Illinois by providing legal advice, self-help materials, guidance on how to use the court system and referrals through a telephone hotline ($175,000);
To provide representation to victims of domestic violence and families in crisis ($115,000), families with housing emergencies ($50,000) and senior citizens ($15,000) across 22 counties via service offices in Batavia, Waukegan, Peoria, Kankakee and Galesburg;
To assist in the development of a Self-Help Center at the Kane County Courthouse Law Library that will offer the public information, forms and internet-based materials ($43,000).
Southern Illinois University School of Law Foundation ($42,000)
Carbondale
To help low-income families and children resolve custody and visitation issues by providing mediation services through its Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic in 9 counties in the First Judicial Circuit ($17,300);
To plan the development of a community mediation center in Carbondale ($9,700);
To serve thousands of people in southern Illinois by providing access to legal information by mail, via the internet and through community outposts ($15,000).
Will County Legal Assistance Program ($45,000)
Joliet
To support victims of domestic violence in Will County by providing comprehensive legal services to facilitate permanent escape from abuse ($25,000);
To provide representation to families in housing crisis and to low-income people impacted by consumer fraud ($20,000).