First Timer

Hi,

I am a single mother of a teenage girl trapped in poverty with no way out.  I live in a southern city on the wrong side of town.  I spend most of my time trying to make sure my daughter escapes the reality and culture of poverty.  I have a disabling disease that keeps me traped down here but I want to make sure my daughter has a way out.

My daughter is a joy.  She is sixteen and will be a junior at a catholic high school we can't really afford.  Like all mothers I would like to believe she was this wonderful gifted kid but in reality she is pretty average, smart at some things not at others.  She is one of the stereotypical over weight children living in poverty.

We live in a house we can not afford.  We like half of America it seems are constsntly at the brink of forclousure.  It is a small two bedroom cottage that we share with two dachshunds name Coda and Lucy.  We live in a nice quiet neighborhood even though most people think that that is an impossibility in the inner city.  My neighbors are mostly retired.

I drive a car  I can't afford.  I am currently a payment behind.  Since our town has almost no public transit, at least none that gets anyone where they need to go,  I have to hold on to the car.  The plus is it is relatively new and still under warranty.

I have Lupus and MS so there is no chance of me returning to the workforce.  My daughter's father died 10 years ago so I am in this alone.   We live on social security which was frozen 2 years ago, unfortunately none of the bills were frozen with it. 

We are starting to look at colleges we can't afford but have to have.

So that is who I am and what we are doing.