Complaint Review: Wayne County Friend Of The Court - Detroit Michigan

Hello, This complaint should have been filed in the deadbeat parent section. The FOC has nothing to do with CPS of the Michigan Department of Human Services. The FOC is a county department and the Wayne County court system is a joke. The workers are lazy and incompetent. There are millions of dollars of outstanding child support owed by persons involved with the Wayne County FOC and they do practically nothing to get the support to the payee. What a joke!

For one, it shouldn't be deadbeat dad or mom, even though deadbeat dad is used more mom and dad's BOTH do it, therefore it should be renamed, DEADBEAT PARENT. From someone who has been on BOTH sides of fence, it isn't all for the mom or all for the dad, both get screwed over but most of all, the CHILDREN do. Let's not forget that, we can complain as much as we want about the money from both sides but regardless, the children are the ones who suffer. As far as "WOMEN" not being expected to do anything to better herself and just set home and collect money, men, NOT all but some, do the exact same thing you are blaming "WOMEN" for being allowed to do. As far as women being able to sit on the couch and collect welfare, NEWS FLASH! To you men that think this and to you women who think they can do this, in Michigan, they just passed a law, stating that you can only, from the date this law was passed, collect welfare grants for a maxiumum of 2 years in A LIFETIME starting from the date the law was passed. Up where I live, even though we are, not only in the people that live in this county's opinion, but the Department of Social Services(by the way, changes their name once a year and have to spend all that money paying to have their names changed on their literature, envelopes etc...) but by Michigan Works Program as being GEOGRAPHICALLY CHALLENGED as far as jobs up here. Mind you, Ogemaw County covers about at least 3 but probably more than 5 cities(towns), but unless you are disabled, which I am, but if you are NOT legaly disbaled or have a case pending with Diability, and you want to applay for a welfare grant, you HAVE TOO, begin going to Michigan Works, for i think it is 6 hours a day 5 days a week in order to get you first check, BUT, you have to continue going to Michigan Works(job training, resumes, practice interviews) until you obtain employment for approx Single parent (20-35 hours at least minimum wage and couple(not sure the hours) at which time and that rate you basically end up making too much to qualify for a grant anyways. This was SUPPOSE to be like this in EVERY county in Michigan but I have yet to hear of ANYONE(NOt saying their isn't) but anyone who lives in the other counties being expected or required to do this. Mind you, cities like Detroit and Bay City where there are WAY more jobs then where I live, are not requiring or forcing their recipients to do. So, I guess what I'm saying is, eventually if people b**** enough, EVERY county in Michigan will enforce this and therefore ending the "free ride" that a lot of men are accusing women of getting. One misconception that a lot of people have is about welfare, is okay let's say where I live, a single parent with 2 children only get $444 a month to live on. Try supporting yo and 2 kids on that! Some people make it sound like those who do get welfare benefits live this life of luxury. Granted for the same situation down in Wayne County they would get $489, still, that isn't even enough to pay their rent. So, to all of you that are complaining about he welfare system in Michigan, if you want to change it and force the ones who ARE lazy to get out and get a job, contact the Governor's Office or the State Representative for Michigan and tell them you want all these other counties in Michigan to force their residents to have to do the same thing Ogemaw County is making their welfare residents do. But, you can ALSO, lower the number of welfare cases in Michigan if you call and complain to these same people about all these ACTAUL dead beat parents who are NOT being forced to support their children and therefore raises the nuber of recpients on welfare. To those of you parents(BOTH MEN AND WOMEN) that actual pay their support and utilize their parenting times, I commend you and keep up the good work. Also, in turn, if you know of any friends or relatives that are NOT paying their support and spending time with their children by THEIR choice, SPEAK UP! Ride their a** and tell them that they are part of the reason why the welfare rate is so high and that it is parents like them that give the rest of us that ARE taking care of children a bad name.

Kim, if you are a single mother, your last concern should be college for your children. Especially honor students. Do you realize how much scholarship and grant money goes unused every year? And none of it has to be paid back? And a lot is not even income based (although from your complaint and having four kids I imagine you and your kids would qualify for the Pell Grand and the FSEOG which are both income based). Then there are state grants, institutional scholarships, church scholarships, and federal work study. All to insure your children can go to college without the help of their deadbeat father. My father was a deadbeat too. In 18 years he paid a grand total of $432 in child support. He owned three homes and had two cars with 3 other kids and a wife. He made well over 10x what my mother made. And you know what? He claimed he couldn't afford child support for a daughter he "never asked for." Oh yes, he said that. He also tried to have me taken away from my mother (we left him when i was 2 months old due to abuse). I know what it is like from the child's perspective. It sucks knowing one of the parent's is too cheap and inconsiderate to take care of you properly. But you know what? My mother worked her a*s off to go to college, to get an education, and to raise my sister and I properly. We were broke. And I mean dirt poor. I remember one time my mother couldn't afford $3 for paper for school. I could never thank my mother enough for all the sacrifices she made to take care of myself and my sister (and later on my two cousins as well). So, regardless of their father, your kids will turn out fine, and with a great deal of respect for you. I hope your pursuit of YOUR education goes well, along with your children's. Good luck, and seriously, just talk to the schools. Be sure to fill out a FAFSA (do a search online). That will help decide what you can get in financial aid. It IS possible, even without his help. To all the fathers out there being screwed by vindictive mothers...I feel for you too. My fiance is going through the same thing. Although there is no excuse for deadbeat parents, there is also no excuse to abuse the system. Good luck, and keep fighting. Just make sure your kids know you are fighting FOR them, not AGAINST them. Wow...sounded kind of like a commercial didn't it?

Sorry Aaron....we're not all the same. I have worked and gone to school while struggling to take care of my children without welfare. Their deadbeat father is in the arrears by more than $44,000. for which I did turn him into the new Attorney General's program. They sent me a letter saying they were closing my case because he's a broke loser and they no longer wish to pursue it. I have pleaded with everyone at FOC and the state's attorney office for help. I now live out of state so I get even less help than before. I have two children to put through college. My children are both honor students and deserve that. I could prepay college for both of them with half of what he owes me. How is it fair to his children or myself that FOC never issues warrants for him and no one in the state of michigan enforces his court ordered support.

Sorry Aaron....we're not all the same. I have worked and gone to school while struggling to take care of my children without welfare. Their deadbeat father is in the arrears by more than $44,000. for which I did turn him into the new Attorney General's program. They sent me a letter saying they were closing my case because he's a broke loser and they no longer wish to pursue it. I have pleaded with everyone at FOC and the state's attorney office for help. I now live out of state so I get even less help than before. I have two children to put through college. My children are both honor students and deserve that. I could prepay college for both of them with half of what he owes me. How is it fair to his children or myself that FOC never issues warrants for him and no one in the state of michigan enforces his court ordered support.

Do not consider moving out of your county. They all pretty much suck. I recently transfered my case from Wayne county to Monroe county. I already spent a ton of money to straighten so many things out in Wayne county, that I thought the same thing. If I move to a different county things will be different. WRONG! Now I find myself spending more money on attorneys to help the people of Monroe county FOC figure out how to do their job. Keeping in mind, these are the people who get paid from my taxes. Not only do I take great strides in my kids lives, but finally after 5 years of struggling with Wayne county FOC, now the struggle resumes with Monroe county FOC. I am not a dead beat at all, but I still am stuck taking time off work to hire attorneyys to take care of these issues. What does the state require my ex-wife to do? NOTHING! not only does she not have to work, she is not required to better herself i.e. go to school, some sort of self help program etc... of course, some moron in Michigan would come up with some scheme to get the father to pay for that too. Living in Lansing and working for the government I always hear about these issues. What about the dads who do pay. I was appauled at the legislature to award counties "bonus'" if they fill a certain quota for capturing dead beats. I guess it is not enough to pay governmental staff to do their jobs, they have to coax them with a bonus to inspire them to do their job, how pathetic. Once again the governor Jennifer Granholm, who by the way is from Canada, further uselessly distributes our tax dollars to a 4 person crew to hunt down these dad's. This crew is allocated over 4 million dollars a year. That's a million dollars a person not including their commission to use resources already in place i.e. the police, US marshalls etc... Do not move to a different county it just starts this rediculously messed up cycle all over again. Here's an idea: get rid of FOC, allocate funds correctly, require something of "dead beat mothers" who have custodial rights to do nothing, but work at how to get their next free check. Give personal attention to all cases, and praise fathers who do pay. Realistically there are at least 5 loop holed schemes I can think of to get out of paying child support, but I choose to do the right thing. I have run into many fathers who have paid beyond what they should, but FOC still buckles down on them because a lazy woman takes 10 minutes out of her soap opera filled days to fill out a review form. Then they can't understand why some men just give up! I even heard one father's story of asking a judge to put him in jail because at least in jail he would have a roof over his head, with food, and cable TV. Honestly, that is not much to ask fo rout of life, but all I ever hear about are victimized women. I ask some of these women what are they doing to better themselves for their kids sake - common answer: nothing! There's an old saying I find so true in almost every situation "Those who contribute the least, usually complain the most" This type of womens lib is synonimous with the same principles Hitler used. Long live the FOC - amen!

Under new laws, deadbeats can be turned over to the Attorney General's office after they are 10,000 in arrears it is considered a felony... This is basically going over "Enemy of the Court"'s (as I like to call them) head basically. I hear you, I am in a similar boat as are many women right along with you. I've been advised to move to another Michigan County. I know a friend of mine living in Monroe County gets expedient services through that county's Friend of the Court...