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Governors State legal clinic urges more South Suburban services, alliance to aid survivors
Summary
The Governors State Legal Clinic described pro bono family-law and social-work supports for Southland survivors and called for a funded alliance of services, more court advocates, and child-visitation centers tailored to Cook County suburbs.
Dr. Phyllis West, founding director of the Governors State Legal Clinic, told the task force that the three-year-old clinic provides pro bono family-law, housing, immigration and expungement help primarily for Southland residents and emphasized the clinic's social-work-first approach to trauma-informed assistance.
"We are, funded through the Illinois Human Justice Foundation and the Lawyers Trust Fund," West said, describing a staffing model with two part-time attorneys, three pro bono attorneys and social-work interns. She said the clinic has supported roughly 200 community members since opening and stressed that many clients need help with court forms, preparation for hearings and ongoing emotional support.
West recommended a public-health approach to domestic violence, prioritized resources for Cook County suburbs rather than treating suburban needs as identical to those of Chicago, and proposed establishing an alliance to coordinate legal services, court advocates, child-visitation centers and warm handoffs between providers.
Committee members asked about service hours, courthouses with gaps (Markham and Bridgeview were raised), and whether police stations or other community sites could be used for safe child-exchange locations. West said court advocates and child-visitation centers are scarce in the Southland and that police stations are not an appropriate substitute for trauma-informed visitation spaces.
West cited concrete clinic practices: social workers often meet clients first to address anxiety and prepare them for virtual or in-person hearings; the clinic operates court accompaniment and provides referrals to community partners. She also described a DV think tank of local providers and recommended additional funding for case-management and advocacy staff to reduce retraumatization and improve access across suburban courthouses.
The task force thanked West and asked staff to consider how to improve coordination among courthouses and local providers. No formal funding decision or motion was made at the meeting.
Next steps: task force members said they would capture service gaps identified by the clinic and explore convening an alliance of stakeholders to coordinate services in the Southland.
