(USA)
Pritzker announces 'first of its kind' legal hotline for LGBTQ+ IllinoisansIllinois Pride Connect will come online Monday, offering advice on health care access, identifying documents, housing, government benefits and safety concerns.
Link to Source ArticleThe Chicago Sun*Times - Violet Miller
Aug 22, 2025, 12:52 pm MDT
Gov. JB Pritzker announced this week that Illinois is launching a "first of its kind" resource guide and hotline to support LGBTQ+ residents.
The legal advice line, Illinois Pride Connect, will come online Monday and serve English and Spanish speakers, according to the program's site.
Callers can get advice on accessing health care, identifying documents, housing, safety concerns and government benefits, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Advocates fielding calls will offer advice and refer callers to the line's legal partners.
"For us to be able to go on offense, and not be on defense, is what I love about this state," Pritzker said in a video posted to social media. "Together we are fighting ignorance with information. We're fighting cruelty with compassion."
The state has spent $250,000 launching the helpline, which is a partnership between the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services and the Legal Council for Health Justice, Equality Illinois, Life Is Work and other nonprofit aid organizations. The state has committed to fund the line only through next summer, but its partners plan to use private funding to keep it running after that.--------------------
"While the hotline is intended for Illinois residents, residents of other states can also call to get connected to resources."
Illinois Pride Connect can be reached at
855-805-9200 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The state's
988 line also provides mental health support to LGBTQ+ youth, despite federal cuts to queer-specific support on the national 988 line.
