Wow, it is already February! It will be the end of the year before we know it. If we at Elder Law of Michigan, Inc. want to accomplish as much in 2016 as we did in 2015, we need to kick it into high gear. After all, it is already February, remember?
Now that is not meant to imply in any way that the staff at Elder Law of Michigan aren’t working at full speed every single day. After all, with the support of many great supporters and partners, we accomplished quite a bit in 2015. Here are just a few highlights:
- Helped 137 seniors, like Mrs. Scales from Detroit, save their home from foreclosure because they were unable to keep up with their property taxes or because they couldn’t pay the required property taxes and insurance for a reverse mortgage. Thanks Housing Rights Center of Michigan
- Worked with 800 pension clients, like Mr. Shatara, to secure over $3 million in projected retirement benefits. Way to go, Mid-America Pension Rights Project.
- Along with our 125 community partners in the MiCAFE Network, we assisted nearly 1,500 seniors in applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 900 of which successfully received benefits. These seniors are receiving, on average, $104 per month to help with food costs. Great job, MiCAFE Network.
- Provided legal advice and guidance to over 6,900 clients, mostly low-income seniors, who otherwise would not have access to legal services. This included connecting them to resources in 25% of the cases. Wonderful work, staff, and volunteers on the Legal Hotline for Michigan Seniors.
- Screened 4,500 clients to see if they were possibly eligible for one of the key government benefits and were able to help them apply for additional benefits to help them with their drug costs, Medicare Part B Premium, etc. Thanks, everyone.
- Worked with 24 partners throughout the state to develop the Michigan Elder Justice Coordinating Council. Great work, Center for Elder Rights Advocacy.
I don’t do the Elder Law of Michigan staff and volunteers justice to summarize all of the work that they did last year with six bullet points. There have been new publications completed, educational workshops done, new collaborations built, counseling appointments scheduled, national training provided, etc.
Look for more information soon on other accomplishments and impact of our work for 2015. Also, I’ll update in the next few weeks on what exciting things are planned for 2016.