About Us
Guardian Finance and Advocacy Services (Guardian) is a nonprofit corporation that provides a complete network of public fiduciary services. Working from our offices in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, our professional and compassionate staff of 30 people work to improve the lives of over 1200 clients in southwest Michigan.
How Guardian Can Help
GFAS has been a trusted service provider in Southwest Michigan since 1966. Calhoun County Guardian was formed and funded as a county program to help individuals released from psychiatric hospitals manage their lives, income, and success in the community. Kalamazoo County formed a similar organization, and years later, both counties converted these programs to nonprofit agencies. The agencies merged to form GFAS — which currently serves nearly 1,100 individuals residing primarily in Calhoun and Kalamazoo Counties.
Our Process
No matter which service, or combination of services, best meets your needs, our process is the same. This makes working with us easy and consistent.
1 Intake
The first step to all our services is the referral process. It is important that all of the requested information on the referral form is provided.
If the team providing the recommended service determines that it is mutually beneficial for Guardian to act on behalf of the client or provide additional services, our organization will contact the referring individual and guide them through the next steps.
If this involves a court’s petition process, the petition must be filed by the referring individual. It can be filed directly at the Probate Court in the county where the potential protected individual resides. Please be aware that the filing fee is due at the time of filing.
The court will assess the petition and set a date for a hearing to determine if the individual does, in fact, require intervention. The judge will also decide who will serve in that role at the hearing.
2 Tenure
Once the service is established, we will investigate the current financial situation and work through the process of creating a monthly budget. This process will include investigating the locations and status of incomes, assets, and monies.
Our team is trained to determine the needs of our clients and their financial ability to address those needs. Our goal is to create a stable and predictable financial environment. We will ensure that the monthly bills are paid, outstanding debts and financial struggles are addressed, and that the real estate and personal property are handled with care.
Our role is to ensure that the client’s assets and income are used in the most optimal way possible to meet their needs. Once the assets are depleted, our team will work hard to ensure that the client takes advantage of every benefit possible so that their basic needs will continue to be met.
3 Discharge
There are several different reasons why a client would be discharged from Guardian, Inc.
1) The client has regained their own self-sufficiency
If a client has regained the ability to manage their own finances, we will distribute the funds and financial information to them so that they can conduct their own financial affairs.
2) A new person has been appointed
In the event that another person is appointed, we will distribute the funds and financial information to the new designated individual.
3) A client passes away
Upon the death of a client, our role is terminated, and the authority is removed. Our organization will cease payments and management of the assets until the court has appointed a representative of the estate, called a personal representative (PR). Once the PR is assigned, we will release the funds and information to the PR so that they can distribute the funds accordingly. If applicable a small estate will be opened after 28 days.