ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Funding for free legal services in Illinois has plummeted nearly 30 percent since last year.

23 News looked at what happens when people who need help the most don't get it.

In Illinois free legal help is normally paid for by the federal government and by interest earned on lawyer trust accounts, but because the market tanked those funds have dried up leaving people will no help to navigate the legal system.

Tracie Alvarez could be evicted from her home by the end of the month because her ex-husband--who pays child support in the form of her rent--stopped paying. She called Prairie State Legal Services for help. They normally take cases just like hers, but because funding has been slashed they had to turn her away--just like they've done with hundreds of other cases in the last year.

Alvarez said, "I'm going to end up having to go sleep on my sister's couch or I’m going to start looking for a homeless shelter. I don't really know what I’m going to do."

Prairie State normally prioritizes cases based on need--cases that involve abuse or shelter. This summer they could have accepted Tracie's case, but because of lost grant money, the organization was forced to lay off its child support attorney .