Q: I have a sister,71 from Detroit with outstanding warrants. She’s been homeless several times there. Need advise.
She’s had some drug addiction, medical issues, outstanding medical, Energy, housing bills and collections. I’ve moved her in with me to straighten her out, pay some of her debt, get her health in order and deal with her criminal record that stems back to 2011. There are 16 warrants and I believe a felony that I’m not sure of the details. I want to get her into low income housing but her record has kept us from doing that. She gets Medicare and social security benefits but all her benefits are going to me paying out her debts. The criminal records stem from subjects such as rent, panhandling, allowing someone to drive without a license, nuisance in public. We believe the felony is for 2400.00 dollars of writing a bad check in 2015. Never showed in court. But been arrested after that and was never kept for that charge. The list goes on... She also has a 7,000 dollar DTE bill that I can’t believe they let it go that far. I’m lost at this point. Need advise.
A:
I'm sorry for the suffering this situation has brought to you and your sister. It sounds like you have already undertaken considerable efforts. Why don't you try contacting the State Bar of Michigan - they have legal aid programs. It looks like they are administered on a county basis. Maybe based on your sister's situation, they (or possibly other pro bono services in the state of Michigan) could provide legal assistance. Contact law schools in the area to learn if any of the criminal justice professors administer programs/workshops where law students serve people in the community with legal needs. Maybe contacting homeless coalitions/government housing authorities could offer direction in terms of housing. If you think a social worker could help with some of the issues, look into the availability of government social services - it's possible they might be able to help identify additional sources of assistance for your sister. Good luck to you and your sister. I hope her situation improves.
Tim Akpinar
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
