Prairie State Legal Services, Inc.

Prairie State Legal Services provides advice and representation in a variety of non-criminal legal problems. Their team will accompany clients to court hearings and administrative hearings and can schedule an appointment for the client to come into the office if they are needing legal advice on a matter that the PSL office handles. Generally, Prairie State staff seek to be available for those legal matters that impact a household's ability to meet its basic human needs for protection from violence and abuse, access to medical assistance, subsistence income, or access to decent affordable housing. Some of the cases commonly accepted for more extensive legal representation include: Domestic Violence Orders of Protection, Public Benefits - including loss or denial of SSI, TANF, Veterans' benefits, or SNAP benefits, Family Law - including protection from abuse or exploitation, divorce and related relief for persons facing domestic violence, Housing Law - including evictions and lock-outs, foreclosure defense, loss or denial of subsidized housing benefits, loss or denial of essential public utilities, or substandard housing conditions cases that cannot be addressed by other agencies, Health Care - inlcuding loss or denial of medical or nursing home care, loss or denial of medical benefits (Medicaid, Medicare), issues of guardianships and powers of Attorney, or other income benefits where alternative representation is unavailable, as well as education issues.