HR0513 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0513 LRB098 12728 MST 47210 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Cabrini Green Legal Aid on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, Cabrini Green Legal Aid was founded in 1973 by Chuck Hogren with funding from Tyndale House Publishers; the funding was obtained by Bill Leslie, the pastor of the LaSalle Street Church; for 24 years, Chuck Hogren served as Cabrini Green Legal Aid's Executive Director; and

WHEREAS, Cabrini Green Legal Aid first operated as a general purpose law firm for the residents of the Chicago Housing Authority's Cabrini-Green housing project, providing representation that ranged from advocating for tenants' rights to finding alternatives to gangs for Cabrini-Green youth; and

WHEREAS, In 1996, when the Chicago Housing Authority began to demolish the Cabrini-Green housing project, Cabrini Green Legal Aid expanded its mission to encompass the entire City of Chicago, specializing in 3 under-served practice areas: housing, family law, and criminal defense; and

WHEREAS, With the modernization of Illinois' Expungement laws in 2003, Cabrini Green Legal Aid started its Criminal Records Program, one of the State's first efforts to help individuals expunge or seal their arrest or conviction records; Cabrini Green Legal Aid opened its Expungement Help Desk at the Daley Center in 2005, which now serves more than 4,000 individuals annually; and

WHEREAS, In response to the ever-growing need for legal services, Cabrini Green Legal Aid launched the Client Support Services Program in 2006 to help integrate professional legal and social services to enhance legal outcomes and expand its impact beyond crisis support; and

WHEREAS, A celebration of Cabrini Green Legal Aid's 40th anniversary will be held September 26, 2013, at Union Station in Chicago; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Cabrini Green Legal Aid on the 40th anniversary of its founding; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Cabrini Green Legal Aid as an expression of our esteem and respect.