Hotline Number 312-738-9200
August 2018
Introducing The One Justice Circle
Tom is a senior citizen on his own trying to make ends meet on a fixed income. He had planned on living in his Chicago apartment for many years to come, until repeated flooding and a negligent landlord made his home unsafe. When his ceiling began to collapse, he called CARPLS to get out of his lease. CARPLS gave him free legal advice on how to terminate his lease legally without impacting his future housing. 

Tom was “ extremely grateful to speak to an attorney in real time for the support I needed to move out of this dangerous place.

A little bit of advocacy goes a long way in improving real people's lives. To make the most of that impact in our 25th Anniversary year, CARPLS is launching The One Justice Circle , a new way to recognize our monthly donors whose month-to-month donations add up to a big impact over the course of a year:
As one member of the One Justice Circle noted,"I have been familiar with the amazing work that CARPLS does, and the tremendous need for its services, for a number of years and wanted to support the organization through more than a one-time donation. Setting up a recurring monthly donation was especially convenient, allowing me to choose the amount I am able to contribute monthly, and having the payments automatically charged to my account each month makes supporting such a great organization incredibly easy."

Across the nation, more people need legal help than resources are available. To join the One Justice Circle, visit our donation page and select "Recurring" at the bottom to make your gift month-to-month. 85 cents of every dollar raised goes directly into our services to thousands of people across Cook County. Thank you for your support!
It All Started with the Articles of Incorporation & Makes a Lawyer Smile!
25 years ago, CARPLS came into being with the drafting of our Articles of Incorporation by Ken Morrison, a long-time partner of Kirkland and Ellis LLP and one of the strongest advocates for access to justice. Since then, CARPLS has provided free legal assistance for over 850,000 people! For our 25th Anniversary, we honored Ken with a special copy of the Articles he wrote to establish our organization.
CARPLS Executive Director Al Schwartz and Board Member Michael Slade of Kirkland & Ellis LLP present a copy of the Articles of Incorporation drafted by Ken Morrison all those years ago.
The Articles of Incorporation for CARPLS--our birth certificate!
It's All About You--CARPLS Anonymous Newsletter Survey
CARPLS is conducting an anonymous survey to help us plan our communications to better suit the interests of YOU, our loyal readers and supporters. This brief survey takes about 2 minutes to fill out. Click on this link to fill out our anonymous survey! Thank you for your response.
FY18 Highlights
CARPLS has many accomplishments to celebrate from recently completed FY18 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018). The organization is always focused on how to increase and improve services for our constituents:
One of our brightest FY18 moments was the start of the IL-AFLAN Hotline for veterans, military personnel and their families statewide.

As Pat Wrona, Legal Director noted, “We are very proud of creating the IL-AFLAN hotline from the ground up, with its expansion to statewide services, into new subject areas, for a very compelling client group. IL-AFLAN has connected us closely with our legal aid partners, and the new technology and strategies we developed will be put to good use for the greater legal aid community going forward.”

As we look to build on our success, we take a moment to hear from our clients:
"I am in the late stages of a challenging divorce and CARPLS gave clarification on an upcoming settlement hearing. The lawyer was very helpful in answering any questions I had."

"The lawyer answered all of my questions and told me what steps to take regarding the summons from an unpaid credit card. I will handle the court appearance by myself confidently."

"I lacked the understanding of what I was up against, as I was truly naive and unaware of court proceedings. CARPLS helped ease the tension that I was feeling regarding my case. I am truly grateful to have had the consultation and assistance I received."
How Civil Legal Aid Can Help Solve Homelessness for Veterans
Across the country, there is an epidemic of homelessness among our veterans, with 50,000 veterans currently living on the street. In Chicago, up to 300 veterans may be homeless at one time, according to All Chicago’s Homeless Management Information System .

But a new national survey by the Department of Veteran’s Affairs gives some insight into how to curb the high rate of homelessness among veterans: of the top 10 problems leading to homelessness, at least 5 of them can be prevented if veterans have access to civil legal aid . These include legal assistance with preventing eviction/foreclosure, establishing parental rights, restoring driver's licenses, addressing outstanding warrants and fines, and military discharge upgrades.

While essential services such as access to food, medical benefits, or substance use treatment have made great strides in assisting veterans, civil legal aid consistently ranks as a top unmet need. Access to a lawyer may not seem like a central need for veterans—but when it comes to dealing with civil legal issues like evictions and disability benefits, legal aid can be the linchpin to preserving homes, jobs and families so veterans can take charge of their lives.

Last year, the State of Illinois, via the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, established
IL-AFLAN (Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network) to assist veterans on these types of critical civil matters. CARPLS serves as the hotline hub for IL-AFLAN and connects veterans to our partners across the state for specialized legal needs. In IL-AFLAN’s first year, assistance on 111 housing cases by CARPLS’ partners averted homelessness for veterans through the prevention or delay of mortgage foreclosures and evictions, or by securing housing vouchers.

If you know a veteran, service member, or a military spouse or dependent who is in need of legal assistance, share our IL-AFLAN hotline number: 855-IL-AFLAN (855-452-3526). An attorney will be happy to discuss discharge upgrades, benefits appeals, or civil legal problems like family, housing, and consumer law issues.
Help Us Grow Our Reach
You have an opportunity to help us make an even bigger difference in our community. GreatNonprofits is collecting nonprofit reviews for their 2018 Top-Rated List.
 
 If you are a supporter of our mission to ensure everyday justice for everyday peopl e, please help us boost visibility for our work by posting a brief review. It’s easy and only takes 90 seconds, and you can do it anonymously!

Go to https://greatnonprofits.org/org/carpls to get started! Thank you for your help.
CARPLS | 17 N. State Street | Suite 1850 | Chicago | Illinois | 60602 | carpls.org