First off, I recognize that this post might be better suited to r/family, but there's enough of an effect on my financial well-being that this sub might be better.
My mother, 60 years old and living by herself with two cats, has barely been getting by for the past few years. Zero self esteem and no real marketable skills led to a string of low-paying jobs, most recently a kindergarten assistant. She's had to essentially beg from her family members for financial assistance, myself included. She never married, and the only people left alive to provide support are my uncle (her brother) and myself. My uncle has been extremely charitable over the last decade, but his means are limited and it's obvious the situation has caused some bad tension. I'm just 27 ($60K/yr in an expensive city) and am still paying off some debt of my own from college, so I can't realistically pay for her living expenses.
Half a year ago when I learned she was over $40K in credit card debt, I helped her go through the bankrupty process, since there was zero chance she was escaping from under that interest. I paid for her lawyer, had her move to some low-income housing, and helped her with the required budgeting classes. While that helped finances a bit, she was still extremely lonely and depressed.
Just today, I learned that she had quit her job a few weeks ago, since she couldn't take the stress of being happy around kids. She has no plan for what to do next, and only enough money in the bank for January's rent and a few bills. To top it off, her annual review for her low-income housing is this Thursday the 26th, and I fear if they learn she doesn't have a job any more her housing would be in jeopardy.
Has anyone ever been in a similar situation? I have no idea how to save my mother from a path of destitution, beyond self-crippling charity. Any advice would be most welcome.
Submitted December 24, 2018 at 05:30PM by ApolloHemisphere http://bit.ly/2LwhDoF
