News You Can Use
North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic Receives Major State Grant to Provide Eviction Help
North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic has been awarded a $125,000 state grant from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation to provide free legal assistance to local residents facing eviction. These services will be offered as part of Eviction Help Illinois, a statewide legal aid network for Illinois residents dealing with housing issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eviction Help Illinois has provided more than 290,000 services to date and is funded through the Illinois Department of Human Services. READ STORY
Rockford-based Nonprofit Gets One Million Grant for Free Eviction Services
ROCKFORD (WREX) — Several Illinois nonprofits are receiving grant funding to continue services for those facing eviction, including one based in the Stateline. The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in state grants to 10 nonprofits that provide legal aid services across the state. Prairie State Legal Services, based in Rockford, will receive $1 million to provide legal assistance and information to those facing eviction. Prairie State gives advice to residents of 35 counties across northern and central Illinois.... READ STORY
‘Legal Deserts’ Create A Gap In Justice — But Local Groups Are Making Getting Help More Accessible
Illinois Legal Aid Online is trying to close the "justice gap" by bring legal help to the Chicago communities that need it the most. READ STORY
Panel interview on IL’s cannabis industry
Panel interview on IL’s cannabis industry. Panelists include: Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell, Brandon Williams (supervising attorney at Cabrini Green Legal Aid), and Akele Parnell (CEO of Umi Farms and a board member of cannabis advocacy organization Chicago NORML). WATCH VIDEO
As New Illinois Cannabis Dispensary Licenses Are Issued, Focus Turns to Industry Equity
In late July, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a second round of conditional adult use cannabis dispensary licenses that brought the total number of issued licenses to 177. The applicants, all of whom qualify as social equity applicants, have 180 days to obtain a physical storefront location and the full adult use dispensing organization license. According to the state, of the business selected for the licenses, 41% are majority Black owned, 7% are majority White owned, 4% are majority Latino owned and 38% did not disclose the owner’s race. Pritzker
Segment on cannabis expungement in Illinois, highlighting New Leaf’s work.
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Illinois Awards $1.4M to Help Expunge Cannabis-Related Criminal Records
Eighteen Illinois organizations have been awarded $1.4 million in grants from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation to help expunge cannabis-related criminal records, WGEM reports. Beth Johnson, project manager for New Leaf Illinois, which was created by the foundation to address the state’s previous drug laws that disproportionately impacted communities of color, said the grants “will provide resources to organizations that are making a real difference in communities statewide.” READ STORY
New Leaf Illinois announces grants for 18 organizations helping expunge cannabis records
The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation is awarding more than $1.4 million in grants to 18 organizations across the state to help expunge cannabis records. Expungement was a key factor when Illinois legalized recreational cannabis products in 2019. New Leaf Illinois says the funding will help legal aid groups represent people in court. Community outreach groups in areas most affected by the failed War on Drugs also plan to use this funding to educate people about the expungement process. READ STORY
Some Ill. Tenants Face Rental Assistance Obstacles From Unlikely Source- Their Landlord
Advocates tell NBC 5 Responds they are frequently hearing from tenants blocked from rental assistance due to a lack of cooperation from their landlord. While an eviction ‘tsunami’ was widely forecast, emergency rental assistance dollars have played a pivotal role in calming the waters. Yet some tenants are facing obstacles when trying to apply for assistance to cover back-rent owed, obstacles coming from an unlikely source: their landlord, who they owe back-rent to. A new law on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk could help future tenants who find themselves in