Poverty Overwhelms a Family

by Eric and Carol

The reason we are homeless is because my husband was using drugs and alcohol. He didn’t lose his job, he quit it. He got tired of working for nothing. He didn’t make much, but we had the basics. We have two small children, but the county took them away. The apartment we were living in was being rehabed and it really wasn’t safe. There were electrical wires hanging out of the outlets and there weren’t any screens in the windows. I told a social worker I felt overwhelmed. I was talking about always running to see what the kids were doing because I was afraid they would touch one of the wires or climb out of a window.

The social worker misunderstood and thought I meant I was overwhelmed and possible taking things out on my kids. We already talked to the Judge. He said we could get our kids back when we find a new place to live, and that we’ll be monitored by social workers. I really don’t care about the monitoring, there isn’t anything for them to find. My husband goes to A.A. and N.A. meetings. He hasn’t been using anything for the last few months. We just need to find work and get a place to live now.

Copyright NEOCH and the Homeless Grapevine published 1998 Issue 25