public assistance

[fncbj]

i receive public assistance food stamps and medicaid and i work full time to try to support my family of 5. has anyone had any experience with chapter 7 and receiving public assistance? i am in 22,000 in credit card debt and cant afford a lawyer.

[so-beyond-broke]

FNCBJ

What is it that you'd like to know? Receiving government assistance is barely enough to get by so you will qualify for a Ch 7. Since you receive PA, this type of income is exempt when you have to fill out some of your forms. Is there a need or rush to file bk now? It would seem that you are "judgement proof". If you are receiving certain benefits, i.e. welfare or social security, a creditor can't take your money if it comes from such sources. I am not an expert, but you can try your local Legal Aid for some help based on your income. In NY where I am from, the bk court had flyers from a legal aid office that provides free help to people whose income is at the 200% poverty level.

I filed pro-se because I didn't have the money for an atty either. My case is a no asset and I studied books, websites and visited forums about 5 months before filing.

sbb

i receive public assistance food stamps and medicaid and i work full time to try to support my family of 5. has anyone had any experience with chapter 7 and receiving public assistance? i am in 22,000 in credit card debt and cant afford a lawyer.

[fncbj]

i am also in n.y i do not receive any ssi or welfare cash. where can i find free legal help?

[anonymuse]

i am also in n.y i do not receive any ssi or welfare cash. where can i find free legal help?

Not sure what part of NY you are in. Try these:

http://www.nyeb.uscourts.gov/

http://www.nynb.uscourts.gov/

http://www.nywb.uscourts.gov/

[so-beyond-broke]

FNCBJ

These numbers I got off the local flyer in NYC.

Pro se filers Legal Referral Svce
212 626 7373 M-F 8:45-5:30

The City Bar Justice Center
Legal Hotline - NYC Bankruptcy Assistance Project
212 626 7383

I am not sure what part of NY you are from but I got these numbers from the NY Southern District BK court

Hope its helpful

sbb

i am also in n.y i do not receive any ssi or welfare cash. where can i find free legal help?

[FilingOnMyOwn]

As long as you have no assets to lose over the allowable exemptions, you are a prime candidate for filing a chapter 7 pro-se. It'll take some homework and research, but you can do it successfully. Doing mine thoroughly and checking each detail several times, it probably took me in a cumulative total, less than one working day to do my complete filing including the 341. I just did it a little bit at a time so it didn't overwhelm me. Under the new laws, it shouldn't be too much harder for you, you'll have to do the 'counseling' thing thats all.

[rst6pac]

you could try contacting a paralegal the cost is next to nothing and it is really worth it they put the papers togather and you do all the signing and legwork. ours went very smoothly and we didn't have to worry about missing any fine print or hidden rules or papers.

[fncbj]

It looks like we could set up a payment plan ... Thanks for your help, Everyone