A Detroit couple who fostered between 60 and 70 children over four decades have been moved into a rent-free home after facing eviction, with the rescue led by the granddaughter they raised from birth.
The Rodriguezes have been married 43 years and estimate they have raised 60 to 70 children in foster care, according to WXYZ Detroit. One of those children was their granddaughter, Shana Risby, who was born to a mother with a drug addiction and given up at birth.
Risby, now living in California, learned earlier this year that her grandparents were facing eviction.
“When they told me they were going to be evicted from their home, it was really shocking to me,” she said. “It’s something they’ve never experienced before.”
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The couple had bought the home on a land contract, putting down $15,000. The property was failing: a crumbling porch, an inaccessible upstairs, a damaged roof and windows that would not open.
“It’s very hard to make it liveable,” Stephen Rodriguez said.
Risby traced the land contract to a seller WXYZ Detroit has been reporting on since the 1990s.
“That’s when I saw all of the previous news stories, all of the victims that were impacted by him,” she said. “A lot of the homes that this person sells are not up to city code.”
Risby contacted Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, who directed the case to the county’s Senior Justice Alliance – a task force focused on elder abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Sheila Cote, director of the alliance, said only one in 24 cases of elder abuse, neglect or exploitation is reported, often because seniors are embarrassed to come forward.
Jennifer Wilczek, lead case manager with Macomb County’s Office of Senior Services, said the team needed a month to halt the eviction.
“It took all month. We got the entire team from the Senior Justice Alliance involved,” she said.
The alliance ultimately advised the Rodriguezes to leave the property. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, led by Dr. Chad Audi, then moved them into a fully furnished home with a living room, dining room, bedrooms, washer and dryer, new flooring and a refrigerator stocked with groceries. The rent is covered for two years.
County leaders say land contract disputes involving older homeowners are becoming more common and have urged seniors in similar positions to seek help early.
“I’m just grateful that I was raised by two people whose main purpose is to pour love,” Risby said.
