Nicor Gas Foundation commits $150,000 to provide legal services to underrepresented Will, Winnebago County residents
NAPERVILLE, IL. –Thursday, July 14, 2022 – The Nicor Gas Foundation has made a $150,000 commitment to Prairie State Legal Services (PSLS) to ensure equal access to protections under the law to underrepresented residents in Will and Winnebago Counties.
This signature gift will support the expansion of PSLS’ current offerings of legal advice, advocacy and court representation to low-income residents who have a legal barrier to employment, as well as pro bono legal assistance to clients facing eviction and termination of housing subsidies.
“We are committed to supporting economic justice in our communities, and understand that across northern Illinois, many people cannot secure housing or employment without equal access to legal aid,” said Meena Beyers, vice president of Business and Community Development at Nicor Gas. “We are proud to support Prairie State Legal Services’ mission to remove these barriers in our communities while increasing physical and financial stability for our neighbors.”
Additionally, with support from the Nicor Gas Foundation, PSLS will continue to enhance their Legal Services to Promote Job Readiness program that focuses on the expungement and sealings of criminal records, certifications of good conduct, healthcare waivers and driver’s license reinstatements, as well as their Housing Stability Services program which provides legal assistance on unfair evictions, loss of subsidies, sealing records and reducing owed rent.
To date, PSLS has served more than 1,750 clients with legal assistance in the areas of housing, health, safety and stability, while leveraging its relationships with social service agencies and local charities to provide additional non-legal services to its clients.
“Prairie State Legal Services is incredibly grateful for the generosity of the Nicor Gas Foundation and their commitment to giving back to local communities,” said Jennifer Luczkowiak, attorney and director of Development at PSLS. “This grant will be used to help support our housing stability and criminal record relief work in our Joliet and Rockford communities.”
In 2021, PSLS successfully completed 79 job readiness and 332 housing stability cases.
To learn more about Nicor Gas’ commitment to the community, visit www.nicorgas.com/community.
Nicor Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Nicor Gas serves more than 2.2 million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit nicorgas.com.
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.3 million natural gas customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with approximately 600,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.
Media Contact:
Allison Gregoire
470.733.2076
aegregoi@southernco.com
