700,000 low-income residents.  65 counties.  That’s the service territory of IEJF’s largest grantee, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid.

We co-hosted two legislative briefings to showcase the critical role Land of Lincoln plays in the community and the urgent need for more state funding of civil legal aid.  Our first stop was in Alton where we met with State Representative Monica Bristow (D-111) and State Representative CD Davidsmeyer (R-100).   Alicia, a client board member at Land of Lincoln, shared her story of how the organization helped her with both consumer law and eviction issues.

Then it was on to East St. Louis, where we met with State Representative Charlie Meier (R-106) and State Representative Nathan Reitz (D-118).   Antony, a former Land of Lincoln client, talked about how the organization helped him and his wife secure custody of his niece.

Pictured Above: Latasha Barnes, Managing Attorney of Land of Lincoln Legal Aid’s Alton office, talks about the services the organization provides local residents. Also pictured L to R: Leslie Corbett, IEJF Executive Director, Susan Simone, Alicia Newby, Clarissa Gaff, Rep. Davidsmeyer and Rep. Bristow.

Pictured above: Rep, Nathan Reitz; Antony Davis; Megan Kinney, Managing Attorney of Land of Lincoln’s East St. Louis Office; Clarissa Gaff, Land of Lincoln Executive Director; Susan Simone, Land of Lincoln Director of Litigation & Advocacy; and, Rep. Charles Meier.