Need it to be in this area. Newton, Sparta, etc..They are living on a fixed income. They had gotten a reverse mortgage. They can not afford the property taxes. They would love to stay in there Home! Trying to find Financial Help, and Housing Help?! DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START??!! Mom is 80, and Dad 82. Dad still drives, but do not know how much longer? They are pretty mobile. But things are getting tougher for them! I am out of work, and struggling, so can not Help!
What happened to the proceeds of the reverse mortgage? Can't they pay the property taxes with that? (I've never read the terms of a reverse mortgage but it's my understanding that they may still be able to draw down on the funds if they weren't entire expended - that would be the issue, i.e., whether the mortgage has been fully funded.)
I assume you're aware that it's unlikely they'll ever repay the reverse mortgage and the house will eventually be acquired by that lender.
But why did they get a reverse mortgage in the first place?
Low income housing is that - for people of low income. It's unclear how someone who has a reverse mortgage could be low income - the mortgage isn't income per se, but it is a debt and debts shouldn't be the basis for getting housing assistance.
Guess I'm not clear on all the issues here.
I'm not aware, but it could be, that your parents actually gave a deed for the house to the lender, or gave them a deed to be held until their deaths.
Call the County Register of Deeds and ask how you can determine what documents have been recorded against your parents' property. You'll need a property ID, what's known as a Sidwell. If you don't have access to property tax statements, contact the County Treasurer's Office, give them the street address and ask for the Sidwell.
Then call the Register of Deeds' office.
I am sorry if I conveyed anger. It wasn't my intent, but I won't deny that I couldn't help thinking that some people really need that Section 8 housing support and that someone who had funding from a reverse mortgage wasn't in that category. Still, you're in a bad situation trying to figure out what happened.
I hope you make some progress in finding out what happened. If you do discover fraud, and it wouldn't surprise me, then contact the police for further advice. You might also have to speak with a county prosecutor if fraud was involved and if they go after the lender.
If you do contact the police, ask them if there's an anti-fraud task force dealing with reverse mortgage fraud.
Good luck.
This suggestion will add to your burdens, so put it aside temporarily but do consider it. Your parents may qualify either for (a) legal aid or (b) elder law assistance that might be offered by the state in which they live. Michigan, e.g., has an Elder Law legal aid service by which income eligible seniors can get free legal advice. I've used it; it's excellent.
To locate legal aid clinics in their area, Google "bar association" for the county or state in which they live, contact them or go on their website, and search for legal aid clinics.
In Michigan, one of the local law schools hosts a free legal aid clinic on elder law specific questions.
Local communities also offer limited free legal assistance weekly or biweekly. Local attorneys donate their time and offer limited advice.
They might also have suggestions on dealing with the reverse mortgage, as well as any possibility of taking action against the lender.
You can also Google the name of the lender; I wouldn't be surprised to find complaints against it.
Also: do you have a durable power of attorney for your parents? If not, it might be a good time to consider one.
APS is a good suggestion; they can help with a lot of the background investigation.
RLTV has had some exposes of various fraudsters and how they target the elderly.
One of the aspects of this whole reverse mortgage issue that really irritates me is that famous actors (Fred Thompson for one) are hawking for these predatory lendors.
I think you're the one who's angry, and apparently misreading my answers. I was trying to find out more about the situation so I could make some suggesetions on helping with the aspect about which I know more, which is the financial abuse. Obviously there's a lot going on with the reverse mortgage situation and I was thinking that the more I knew about it the more tailored my answers could be.
I did not infer your parents' finances were screwed up. My point was more that they were exploited, and that reflects on the reverse mortgage lender, not your parents. These kinds of predators scam a lot of people, regardless of their financial situation.
People do live off SS, and reverse mortgage funding would help. I fail to understand why that concept is so inflammatory.
No one ever mentioned "BS" except you.
However, you did ask specifically about low income housing in a given area, voluntarily providing the additional reverse mortgage information in your original post. Sticking with that original and limited query, you can locate low income housing by Googling the subject, or follow CentralMass' advice.
I am sorry if you're upset. That was not my intention. If you read other posts here, you'll see that posters respond with a broad range of comments and suggestions, which from what I've read helps the poster put the questions and issues in perspective.
Good luck with helping your parents.