LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Catalytic converter thefts are a fast track to financial ruin for many Mid-Michigan families. One local mother says that a single theft has left her on the brink of homelessness.
Jasmine Malcolm said her car’s catalytic converter, an emission-control device that converts toxic pollutants to less toxic ones, was stolen in May.
The theft forced Malcolm to sell the car as-is. Making matters worse, recent cuts to Capital Area Transit Authority bus service mean the transit system no longer reaches her neighborhood. Without a vehicle or bus, getting to work proved nearly impossible, as did getting her seven-year-old to daycare. Malcolm says that her apartment management refused to add cameras or security lighting to help protect renters.
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“I don’t think they really understand what we’re going through,” Malcolm said. “Like, I mean, we are one paycheck away, maybe even one month away from being homeless. Like we already don’t have a car, and if I’m homeless and I don’t know how I can keep up with work, I don’t know where we would go. I don’t know what we would do.”…