95.3 / 88.5 FM Grand Rapids and 95.3 FM Muskegon
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Report: Michigan debt crisis falls hardest on low-income

Michigan Supreme Court
wikimedia commons
/
Public Domain
Michigan Supreme Court

A commission convened by the Michigan Supreme Court calls for better ways to help people manage their debt` before their cases wind up in court.

That includes new court rules and forms that are easier to understand. Some new laws might also be needed.

The report says almost everyone’s a loser in debt collection cases that are flooding district courts.

Debtors amass interest and court costs and most have their wages garnished on liabilities they may not even know about.

Landlords, retailers and others who are owed money don’t recover all their losses. Angela Tripp with the Michigan Poverty Law Program says there’s a lot to be done to make the process more transparent and easier to navigate.

“These recommendations are not the end of the road for this work. They are really the start of the journey, and now it’s time to put these recommendations into action.”

Related Content