Cabrini Green Legal Aid’s mission is to answer God’s call to seek justice and mercy for those living in poverty by providing high-impact, free legal services that strengthen lives, families and communities.
Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) is the only faith based legal aid clinic operating in the Chicago area. EAPE has been investing in the redeeming work of CGLA since 2008.
Last year CGLA launched a new expungment help desk to assist people who have not been arrested for several years to clear their records of distant minor, non-violent, non-sexual arrests or convictions so that they can find employment. It’s been so successful that one of the city’s judges asked CGLA to expand the program to the suburbs.
Remarkably, CGLA spends only $50 per client, making the desk one of the most efficient and effective programs anywhere. There is a backlog of more than 2000 clients eligible for this service and we have committed to help CGLA free 200 people from the stigma of being judged solely on a relatively minor mistake in their past. Your support this year will be a source of tangible grace, giving poor and oppressed Chicagoans a second chance for a life of gainful employment and dignity.
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CGLA Turns 40 – It’s Time to Celebrate!
EAPE has been investing in the important, redemptive work of CGLA since 2008, but CGLA has been advocating for justice for those whom Jesus called “the least of these” long before we began to support them.
This year, CGLA turned 40 and it’s time to celebrate! If you read below about their incredible story and evolution over the last 40 years and their work for justice, opportunity and second chances, you’ll appreciate why we invest your gifts in this effective ministry!
And if you’re in the Chicago area we encourage you to attend CGLA’s 40th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, September 26th! You’ll have a great time meeting great people and supporting a great cause!
CGLA Kicks Off 40th Anniversary: Justice. Opportunity. Second Chances
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n 1973 Chuck Hogren opened Cabrini Green Legal Clinic (CGLC), as it was then known, as a general purpose law firm in the Cabrini Green Housing Projects after Pastor Bill Leslie of LaSalle Street Church received funding from Tyndale House Publishing.CGLA has grown tremendously since 1973, undergoing a name change and an expansion to serve all of Chicago in 1996, when the Cabrini Green Housing Projects were set to be torn down. CGLA became even more impactful with the addition of the Criminal Records Program and Client Support Services team, and has seen an immense growth in clients served, programs expansion and creation as well as supporters and volunteers. It is with great excitement and honor that CGLA plans to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
In this important year, as it has in the past 40 years, CGLA has stood up in court for clients and then helped them to stand on their own through quality social services. CGLA is not only celebrating its many years of success , but also people like you, who have made it possible to help individuals deal with their legal problems and ultimately transform their lives.
In its 40th year, CGLA will be embarking on its own path for transformation as it moves to a more holistic model that includes a strategic plan that focuses CGLA’s legal services on criminal justice, which works hand in hand with our Client Support Services team. Utilizing the Client Support Services team and partnering with other social service organizations, CGLA will focus on helping clients with criminal records, or are at risk of having a criminal record, overcome the barriers to success preventing them from moving beyond their past mistakes.
CGLA will honor its history and accomplishments with its 40th Anniversary Benefit taking place on Thursday, September 26, 2023 at Union Station from 6-10pm; please mark your calendars and consider attending or sponsoring this festive night!
CGLA continues to embrace the vision that Bill Leslie and Chuck Hogren had more than four decades ago, but also looks to the future with the goal of continuing to provide Justice. Opportunity. Second Chances.
For more information on how you can get involved with CGLA, donate to the 40th Anniversary campaign or become a sponsor of the Benefit on September 26th, please contact .
I hope that you will join us in celebrating 40 years of providing zealous legal advocacy and support to those that need it most in our community.
Gretchen Slusser
Executive Director
