There are many questions and concerns around the wide-ranging impacts of COVID-19 on individuals, families and communities. Michigan Legal Help (MLH), which is supported by CMF member the Michigan State Bar Foundation, is seeing an increase in people searching for legal help and resources connected to COVID-19.

The MLH website is receiving as many as 17,000 visits each day from individuals in Michigan looking for help with unemployment benefit questions, evictions and other legal matters. Michigan Legal Help has compiled a resource center of materials related to COVID-19 detailing how the pandemic may affect various legal issues. The MLH website also includes a triage and referral function through the Guide to Legal Help that provides information and referrals tailored to an individual’s legal problem.   

A few of the topics in the resource center include:

• Unemployment benefits

• Avoiding scams

• Foreclosure cases

• Evictions

• The potential impact on an individual’s state benefits or assistance

• The potential impact on an individual’s pending legal case

“This pandemic exacerbates challenges around stable housing, access to benefits, consumer debt collection and safety from domestic violence,” Jennifer Bentley, executive director of the Michigan State Bar Foundation said. “The legal aid programs throughout Michigan, including Michigan Legal Help, are working extremely hard to respond to the immediate needs, while also trying to prepare for a significant increase in the demand for legal help in the coming weeks and months.”

The MLH website is part of the Michigan Legal Help Program. The program works with judges, courts, lawyers, bar associations, nonprofit legal aid agencies, legal self-help centers, libraries and many others to promote coordinated and quality assistance for individuals representing themselves in civil legal matters in Michigan.