Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. - Kankakee Office
191 South Chicago Kankakee, IL 60901| View map
Phone: 815-935-2750
TTY: 815-935-2764
Toll-free: 800-346-2864
Languages: English
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Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. provides free legal services in civil legal matters for low-income persons who have incomes below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and senior citizens age 60 and older regardless of income.

Eligibility

Whether you are eligible for help from Prairie State Legal Services depends on the following factors:

• You meet our income and asset guidelines, or are age 60 or older.
• We have no ethical conflict of interest regarding your legal issue.
• You live within the service area of Prairie State, or have a civil legal problem in one of the counties in our service area.
• You meet the citizenship or immigration requirements established by Congress. It should be noted that immigrants who are fleeing domestic violence or trafficking are eligible for legal help regardless of immigration status in matters to address the abuse.
• Government regulations do not prohibit Prairie State Legal Services from handling your type of legal problem.
• You have one or more legal problems that can be addressed by PSLS attorneys and that fall within our established priorities.

Types of Legal Help

Due to high demand for our services, our staff is able to provide representation in certain areas of civil law designated as a priority. The following kinds of problems are illustrative of the cases that we may be able to help with (not an exclusive list):

High Priority Cases

• Family Law: Protection from abuse or exploitation of domestic violence victims, elderly, children and persons w/disabilities; divorce and related relief for domestic violence victims.
• Housing Law: Evictions and lock-outs; foreclosure defense; loss or denial of subsidized housing benefits; loss or denial of essential public utilities; substandard housing conditions cases that cannot be addressed by other agencies.
• Health Care: Loss or denial of medical or nursing home care; loss or denial of medical benefits (Medicaid, Medicare).
• Needs-based government assistance: Loss or denial of SSI, GA, TANF, VA, food stamps.
• Other income benefits where alternative representation is unavailable: Loss or denial of unemployment insurance, Social Security Title II benefits.

Other Cases We May Handle

• Family Law: Child support, custody, guardianship, visitation, parental rights, divorces for non-domestic violence victims.
• Housing: Rent issues; security deposits; unit size; discrimination.
• Education: admission, expulsion, special education & related services.
• Health care and people with disabilities: powers of attorney and other health care documents; discrimination and reasonable accommodations.
• Income or benefits: overpayments of government assistance; health insurance matters; employment issues.
• Consumer Law: Bankruptcy or other debt relief; consumer fraud; protection of exempt income and assets; unfair debt collection practices; repossession; contract defenses.
   

View current federal poverty levels

Harbor House Family Violence Services
P.O. Box 1824 Kankakee, IL 60901| View map

Languages: English
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Harbor House offers free confidential services for adults and children who are victims of domestic violence. These services include: Individual and group counseling, emergency shelter, support group, education, partner abuse intervention, 24-hour crisis line, legal advocacy, and information and referrals. Help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A trained, caring person will help you consider your options and develop a safety plan, if needed.

Kankakee County: 815.932.5814
Iroquois County: 815.432.3500

Kankakee Center for Conflict Resolution
850 N. Hobbie Kankakee, IL 60901| View map
Phone: 815-933-0469
Languages: English, Spanish
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The Kankakee Center for Conflict Resolution is a mediation program of the Victim Assistance Center of Kankakee County, Inc. The Dispute Resolution Service is based on the idea that it is possible for the two sides of most minor civil disputes to come to a settlement of their dispute, but they need a third party to help sort out the facts, to direct the discussion and to help each side recognize the possibilities for working with the other side. The Dispute Resolution Service works with neighbor-to-neighbor disputes, landlord-tenant disputes, some small consumer disputes, vistitation and child custody disputes and cases of divorces.  There are no fees (except for parenting classes).

Equip for Equality
20 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60602| View map
Phone: 800-537-2632
TTY: 800-610-2779
Toll-free: 800-537-2632
Languages: English, Spanish, American Sign Language
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The mission of Equip for Equality is to advance the human and civil rights of children and adults with physical and mental disabilities in Illinois.  Equip for Equality serves people who have:

• a developmental disability such as autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
• a significant psychiatric disability such as depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia (we give priority to individuals at risk for abuse due to seclusion, restraint, and any related serious injuries or fatalities, neglect, or civil rights violations, while residing in residential facilities).
• a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act other than one that is developmental or psychiatric such as blindness, deafness or hard of hearing, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, paraplegia, quadriplegia and multiple sclerosis.
• traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Some of our work involves assistive technology needs, voting access and participation for individuals with disabilities, and vocational rehabilitation services, employment services, and other support services for Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities.

How to Request Services

People seeking assistance should call (800) 537-2632 on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. We accept limited calls on Tuesday and Thursday from individuals in institutions (usually when they are emergencies only).

Lambda Legal Midwest Regional Office
11 E. Adams St.
Suite 1008 Chicago, IL 60603| View map
Phone: 312-663-4413
Languages: English, Spanish
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Lambda Legal is committed to achieving full recognition of the civil right of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV.  The Midwest Regional Office has three attorneys devoted to sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV/AIDS issues.

Lambda's Legal Help Desk responds directly to members of our communit(ies) who are seeking legal information and assistance with discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status. 

The Midwest Regional Office accepts Help Desk calls at any time during business hours (M-F 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.). Call 312-663-4413, ask for the Help Desk, and a Help Desk staff person will assist you. If Help Desk staff is busy helping other callers, your call will automatically be routed to the Legal Help Desk voicemail.

Latinos Progresando
3047 W. Cermak Road
Second Floor Chicago, IL 60623| View map
Phone: (773) 542-7077
Languages: English, Spanish

Based in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods—together home to the second largest Mexican population in the country—Latinos Progresando is a nonprofit organization that works with immigrants and their families to build stronger and healthier communities.

Latinos Progresando serves immigrants by providing the highest quality services at low cost: legal services, youth programs, and community forums are all part of our vision to build stronger and healthier families and communities.

Our Immigration Legal Service Program is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals, the nation's highest immigration court, and is listed as a referral agency for the local office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Our agency's reputation for high-quality service draw clients from as far away as Waukegan, Bolingbrook, and Indiana.

Family Services
Our Immigration Legal Services program helps reunite. In FY08, we served over 1,400 clients and their families. We provide informational consultations and responsible referrals so clients are aware of the immigration process, including both their responsibilities and the benefits available to them.

Violence Against Women Act Program
Our VAWA program assists immigrant survivors of domestic violence – at little to no cost -- in separating from abusive family members without losing their eligibility for immigration benefits. The VAWA program was launched in 1991. It is named after the federal Violence Against Women Act, which allows battered immigrants to leave their abusers while maintaining eligibility for legal status.

Our office is open:

Tue-Fri: 9am - 6pm
Sat: 9am - 3pm

Our consultation hours are:

Wed-Thu: 9am - 5pm
Sat: 9am - 1pm

All Legal Services staff is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Midwest Center on Law & the Deaf
P.O. Box 804297 Chicago, IL 60680| View map
Phone: 800-894-3653
TTY: 800-894-3654
Languages: English, American Sign Language
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MCLD provides information to the general public on the rights of deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and helps deaf and hard of hearing people find attorneys willing to provide accessible legal services.  If you or a deaf or hard-of-hearing person you know needs a lawyer, please call MCLD to help you find one.

Farmworker Advocacy Project
100 W. Monroe
Floor 18 Chicago, IL 60603| View map
Phone: 847-668-2114
Languages: English, Spanish
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The Farmworker Advocacy Project provides legal representation to the thousands of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who work planting and harvesting crops, detasseling corn, and cultivating nursery products. The vast majority of these migrants are Spanish speakers who migrate to Illinois from Texas or Mexico for 6-9 months. The primary focus is on migrants living in Northern Illinois. The FAP represents farmworkers, regardless of their immigration status, in disputes over wages, working conditions, housing, and field sanitation. We assist migrant workers to obtain tax credits, Social Security earnings records, and emergency Food Stamps. We also advise migrant workers who are eligible to naturalize.

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Chicago
28 East Jackson Boulevard
Suite 1410 Chicago, IL 60604| View map
Phone: 312-212-1520
Languages: English

CAIR-Chicago is a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. The organization’s mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Department counsels, mediates and advocates on behalf of Muslims and others who have experienced religious discrimination, defamation, or hate crimes.

If you feel you have been the victim of any form of discrimination because you are Muslim, or because you were mistaken to be Muslim, please contact CAIR-Chicago at 312-212-1520 to see how we can help.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
55 E. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 2075 Chicago, IL 60604| View map
Phone: 312-332-7360
Languages: English, Spanish
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ICIRR is dedicated to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. In partnership with our member organizations, the Coalition educates and organizes immigrant and refugee communities to assert their rights; promotes citizenship and civic participation; monitors, analyzes, and advocates on immigrant-related issues; and, informs the general public about the contributions of immigrants and refugees.

Kankakee County Legal Self-Help Center
Kankakee County Courthouse
450 East Court Street
Room 208 Kankakee, IL 60901| View map

Languages: English
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The Kankakee County Legal Self-Help Center provides legal information to Kankakee County residents about their legal rights and responsibilities, instructions on how to handle common legal problems, assistance with some legal documents and forms, and referrals to free and low-cost legal services. The Center has two locations: 1) the Kankakee County Courthouse, and; 2) the Kankakee Public Library at 201 East Merchant Street.

Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois Lawyer Referral Service
321 South Plymouth Court Chicago, IL 60604| View map
Phone: 312-554-2045
Languages: English, Spanish
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Our 24-hour answering service provides referrals to private English/Spanish-speaking attorneys with experience in every area of the law.  Please call 312-554-2045.

IllinoisLawyerFinder.com
Illinois State Bar Association
424 South Second Street Springfield, IL 62701| View map
Phone: 217-525-5297 (LAWS)
Toll-free: 800-922-8757
Languages: English
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Illinois Lawyer Finder is the Illinois State Bar Association's lawyer directory. This online referral service is designed to serve everyone who can afford the services of a lawyer. If you prefer a telephone referral please call Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We charge no referral fee, and our operators can put you in touch with a lawyer in your area who has agreed to provide an initial consultation for no more than $15 for the first half-hour.