Am I allowed to have my cousin live with me

[Unregistered]

Hi there. My cousin is using drugs and lost her apartment and car. Her daughter, my second cousin, is 11 years old and is being bounced around from drug house to hotels and already missing school (it's only the first month). She wants to come live with me until her mom straighten outs and her mom is ok with that but do we need to go through and legal stuff or can we just do it on our own? She would have to change schools, can her mom and I go together and register her?
Thank you!

[ccsmod1]

RE: Am I allowed to have my cousin live with me

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to us. It sounds like a hard situation to be in and you are being very helpful with everything. Your family is very lucky to have you since you are very supportive in caring for your second cousin.
We are not legal experts. However, because your cousin has agreed for her daughter to be under your care, the legal court process may not be necessary. It is usually the best case when families are in agreement of arrangements. However, the school may request some legal documentation showing you are allowed to make decisions for your cousin. It may be to your benefit to have this agreement in writing so that there won’t be any legal issues later on. If you need legal resources, we can refer you to a local legal aid resource that will be able to answer your questions.
Your cousins are, again, very lucky to have you to help. We are happy you have reached out to us with your concerns and would love to help you further. We can help you in much greater details over the phone or via chat. You can reach us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or www.1800RUNAWAY.org 24/7. We wish you and your cousins the best.