Many seniors today are in debt. We, at HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm, have learned from years of experience
that many people don't know about their financial rights. This can
put them at a significant disadvantage when dealing with collectors. We have
found that people don't know what resources exist to help them; the goal
of this blog is to share resources and information that can help make life
easier and a little bit more bearable for seniors and disabled people who may be experiencing
harassment from creditors. We would like to help peace to return to their lives!
What Is HELPS (and what does it mean?)
HELPS is an acronym
that stands for Help Eliminate Legal Problems for Seniors
and disabled. We were founded by attorney Eric Olsen, president of OlsenDaines;
the largest bankruptcy firm in the Pacific Northwest. HELPS was
created to assist a significant number of OlsenDaines clients who didn't
need to file bankruptcy.
Why didn't they need to file bankruptcy?
Most seniors receive income which
is exempt from collection by bill collectors. The most
common example of protected income is Social Security. Other retirement
income is usually protected as well. Seniors may also wish to have a part time
job, if the income is small enough (the amount depends on your state), it is
not garnishable by creditors either.
Why would seniors be tempted to file bankruptcy?
Simple answer: collectors. Just
because a senior’s income was not collectable (new information to many) didn't
mean that the bill collectors would stop contacting them, often calling
multiple times each day causing large amounts of stress. Often bill collectors
will tell people that they will garnish their pension or Social Security, even
when they know it is not true.
HELPS was created to stop the harassment of seniors by
collectors.
Once a collector receives a letter
from an attorney representing the senior the collectors are no longer allowed
to contact them. All contact must be made through the attorney. HELPS
represents seniors from all across the country, allowing our clients peace of
mind. We always encourage questions, and do not feel that we have done our job
unless our client can sleep at night. We are always happy to have a trusted
friend or family member you may want to invite sit in on any conversation and
can arrange for conference calls as needed.
We are dedicated to helping seniors
and disabled persons who are unable to pay old debt that is weighing them down,
often making it difficult to pay for housing, food and medicine. As scary as it
can be to consider, these situations can happen to anybody! We are hoping
to share a variety of resources and answer some frequently asked questions
here. Almost everyone knows someone who could use this information, and everybody should be informed on their legal rights. Please feel
free to share with your friends and family members who may be in need of some
help. Our motto is “Sharing the Burden.”
