Dear Colleagues & Friends,

Like so many of us, Catalina Pliego of Belleville (featured in the video above) wanted to provide a safe home for her family. Unfortunately, her desire to own a home was foiled by an unscrupulous seller.
 
After making a down payment and receiving the keys to a mobile home last year, the owner refused to sell the trailer to Catalina or to return her deposit. "There were no papers signed or anything," Catalina said. "Time passed and I didn't know what to do."
 
Feeling overwhelmed, she went to the St. Clair County Legal Self-Help Center desperate for assistance. Catalina received help in using IllinoisLegalAid.org to find and complete an indigent fee-waiver application, small claims complaint, and no-stalking order. In less than three hours, Catalina was in and out of the courthouse with an order of protection for her family and a court date for a small claims case that she was able to file for free.
 
Help. In a very simple yet powerful way, that’s what Illinois Legal Aid Online and Illinois' 46 legal self-help centers provide to those with pressing legal problems, such as appealing an unemployment benefits decision, getting a security deposit back, obtaining visitation of a child, and much more.
 
This year, with the generous support of people like you, we will serve nearly one million Illinoisans like Catalina who visit the award-winning IllinoisLegalAid.org and legal self-help centers.

Please give to Illinois Legal Aid Online before the end of our fiscal year on June 30th and your donation will help fund these vital programs. Thank you for your contributions.

Warmest Regards,

Marcelo Halerpn                                     Lisa Colpoys
President, Board of Directors                  Executive Director