There are everyday people whose lives are changing as a result of the state’s budget problems. We’re collecting stories of people Caught in the Middle.

Grant money that goes toward some programs to help immigrants hasn’t been given out by the state of Illinois. So immigrant students learning to speak English at the Albany Park Community Center in Chicago were told their classes would end two weeks early. WBEZ’s reporter Odette Yousef met teacher Mary Jude Ramirez and student Alaaeddin Aladawi on the last day of the canceled class.