One of the most annoying and frustrating phrases in this world is "I can't do anything about this". It's an aggravating sentence, partially because we as people don't entirely like to admit that we are powerless. One of these situations I face everyday is money, a problem that all of us American's face, but money has been the biggest influence on my opportunities. Money determines how important you are to a society, how much treatment you get and what your future holds. Money can be a blessing for some, but a downfall for others, particularly a downfall for lower middle class families much like mine.
I suppose I started to realize the significance of money in the American society when I was 15. My parents owned a very nice house and we always had food. I usually also had things that I asked for, such as a new jacket or a new book. My parents could afford these little things that I never thought about. I never knew the value of a dollar or my parents hard work to give me these things until one day my parents both lost their jobs and I had to kiss those jackets and luxuries good bye for a little while. But soon, the opportunity to work disappeared. Mom got a disability and dad got a criminal record. No money means more bills and more bills means no money. Without money, families can't afford homes, which is what happened to mine. In 2009 my family became a statistic and lost our home. Jobless, homeless; a statistic.
We had about 2 months after the bank announced our foreclosure to find a new place to live, but finding a place to live is almost as impossible as finding a job. You need money to get a place to live but without a job it's impossible. My parents went to live in York, ME with my aunt for free and I stayed in Malden to live with my uncle for free. The stress and distance between my parents and I became a dilemma; mom developed a habit. By the winter of 2011, mom drained the family's money on booze. The most painful part was having to witness my mom pawn her wedding ring just to pay for her perscriptions.
Eventually I had to move to York, ME to live with my aunt so I could attend school. Money was a problem everywhere. When I moved in, my aunt was struggling to pay the bills without any help. Nothing from the government or anyone else in the household.
We got turned down for welfare, housing, food stamps, apartments and jobs. We either had a few dollars more in our bank accounts or had few little dollars to have any of these. The stress caused things to go downhill; mom tried to kill herself. Although this was a heinous act to try to commit, it seemed to turn things around. About a month later, my mom stopped drinking, which meant we had more money. The government also realized that my mom was very sick and couldn't legally work. She finally started to make an income, about $900 a month in social security. Not enough for a two bedroom or even a one bedroom apartment in Malden, but enough to buy her wedding ring back. It was a positive start.
A month later, someone saw through my dad's criminal record; he got employed as a janitor at the YMCA. Money started coming in, but mom's habit kicked back in. Whenever my parents got close to having enough money to get their own apartment and out of their shelter, something came up: mom drank, or mom needed treatment, or my dad needed medication. Dad couldn't afford health care and he made too much money for free health care. His prescriptions ran up about $300 a month for his diabetes.
It took a near death experience to bring this madness to a stop. My mom's drinking drove her liver to death. She needed a liver transplant, but a doctor can't perform a liver transplant without money. By some miracle, my mom's liver recovered. By some miracle, a month later an apartment in our price range appeared. It seemed that something brilliant was going to happen after these past three years.
Even though my mom get's money and we have a house, we still struggle with money. I've been looking for a job ever since my dad lost his. It's been hard to pay our rent, but we're managing.
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