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Young mom out $680 and nowhere to live

Posted at 7:13 PM, Jan 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-01-16 08:55:54-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Toni Merriweather, 19, and her 2-year-old daughter are homeless. She said she's been bouncing from place to place, staying with relatives.

In September, Merriweather says she paid Steve Benner $680 to rent a studio apartment on the corner of Burton and Eastern in southeast Grand Rapids. The day she went to move in, Merriweather said the front door was locked.

She said Benner told her the bank took over the building. Through a court order, another company had been given authority over it. FOX 17 learned the property may need to be condemned due to disrepair.

Merriweather's mother, Edna, reached out to the FOX 17 Problem Solvers for help.

They're hoping Benner does the right thing and give the 19-year-old mom her money back.

Watch the video for Toni's story and hear what one of Benner's employees had to say.