| Hello Melissa:
Help? Like what? Donations? Charity?? Nahh. There's no help for that.
But there is something you can do, and I'll tell you what it is. You need to expand, and simplify your thinking. You're in an "either/or" situation. Either you find a way to pay it all off, or you find a way to not pay anything. If you stay in the middle, you'll pay, and pay, and pay, and never pay it all, and never improve your credit.
Bankruptcy??? What's to be afraid of??? It's certainly no worse off than you are now, and it DOES have its advantages, like the collections will stop, and you won't have to pay your bills. That ain't bad. The bk will come off your credit report in 10 years. The collections will come off after 7 years. Big deal.
However, depending on your age, your future, and the nature of your very fixed income, you might be judgment proof. It's not a legal term, but it has the same effect. In answer to your last question, YES, collection agencies can take you to court.
But here's the key about your fixed income. If it's SS, or SSDI, in MOST instances, it CAN'T be garnished. So, even if they did sue, and won, they won't collect anything. They're going to know this before they even contemplate suing you, and they're not going to throw their money away chasing you when they know they're not going to get paid. That's the effect of being judgment proof.
I don't know the details of your situation, and the details DO matter.
excon | 
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