Child Protective Services showing up on your doorstep can mean a myriad of things, and very few of them are good. For one Delhi Township woman and her elderly mother, the issues that normally come with CPS visits were only the tip of the iceberg, as this particular visit resulted in them being evicted from their home.
87-year-old Jane Stokes and her daughter, 62-year-old Catherine Lynch, were living in a home in Delhi Township. They were struggling with their bills, and as a result, had their electricity and gas shut off in May of this year. The two women were hoping that Lynch’s first Social Security check would get them caught up. But until it arrived, they were using a generator.
However, when a CPS agent showed up at the house to conduct a welfare check on Lynch’s 8-month-old grandson, things began to unravel. Although Lynch and her mother are fixed residents of the house, Lynch says that sometimes her two daughters, her son-in-law, and her infant grandson stay there as well.
According to CPS, a baby can’t stay in a house without power.
For this reason, he was moved to a relative’s house where he could be cared for in a home with a power supply. Days later the family received notice that they were required by law to restore their power or vacate the premises.
At first, the two woman defied the order and stayed in the home one more night, but they were greeted by Sheriff’s deputies the next morning who threatened to arrest them if they didn’t leave immediately. Reluctantly, Lynch and Stokes took up residence in a motel, which only made their financial problems more severe.
Their home has since been “red tagged”, which means it has been condemned by the Township and no one is permitted to live in it until the power has been restored. According to Tracy Miller, the township’s director of community development, the reason was because using a generator had led to “unsafe conditions,” and it was “a violation of the Township’s property maintenance code.”
CPS arriving at your home to check on your children is a terrifying thought. After all, who knows what they will consider to be red flags, and what may upset an agent while they are in your home. Knowing that a welfare check could result in an eviction if you happen to live in Delhi or Lansing Township is truly terrifying. If CPS arrives on your doorstep to check on your children, contact us immediately. These issues can spiral out of control quickly, the sooner you have an attorney on your side, the better.