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Living
on the Edge of Disaster:
Being
a Poor Working Mother in America
by
Jay Shaft
Dissident Voice
October
9, 2003
To
be a borderline poverty level working mother is becoming a reality for more and
more single, hard working mothers. The edge of financial disaster is becoming
familiar territory for millions of women and the families they struggle to
support. A desperate scramble for survival is the way a growing sector of the
America that is the real backbone of our workforce has to deal with.
These
are the stories of five single mothers and the families they are forced to
raise all on their own. This is their voices and feelings on the America that
has left them behind and seemingly forgotten them. They have all felt the pinch
of our economic hard times as a crushing burden they were unfamiliar with until
the last two-three years.
Never
before has this level of borderline and actual abject poverty existed in
America. The disparity between the working class and the ultra rich is becoming
more apparent week by week. More companies layoff workers and still manage to
give their corporate executives enormous profits and dividends as the low level
virtual peasants are discarded by the millions.
Let
me take you into the daily lives, the minute-by-minute struggle, and try to get you to live in their footsteps
as they walk the path of worry, fear, desperation, and insecurity. Take just a
few minutes of your time to read this and maybe you will know what it is like
to live as a single mother on the edge of disaster.
Karen
is a 27 year-old mother of two who just last year in November was fired from a
computer consulting firm where she worked as a mid-level manager. With a degree
in communications management she made a very respectable salary. It enabled her
to keep her family in comfort and enough luxury to feel a part of the American
dream.
Now
she works two jobs abs has gone hungry many times to make sure that her
children have proper nutrition. Sometimes she has even watched as her children
missed some meals and went to sleep with empty stomachs and restless dreams of
abundant food and a secure home.
“I
went from a three bedroom custom built home to a three room studio that I can
barely pay for. I have had to juggle my rent, electric bill, car payments, food
expenses, and buying decent clothes for my kids. I have had to make the minimum
payments on my light bill and had three shutoff notices in a week. I would
scrape up $50 or a $25 check from Daystar just to keep my balance below $200.”
“I
have not been able to actually pay off my whole bill since January. I know at
least fifty other women in the same situation because we all have seen each
other going around to all the places like Urban League, Daystar, Salvation
Army, We Help, or anyone else that can give us the little checks to keep the
lights on. I never thought that something as simple as paying a $200 bill would
be beyond my reach.”
“I
have to pay my rent in chunks every week or so and haven’t been able to make a
full monthly payment in over six months. Thank god my landlord has kids and is
in the same position I am at times. Only another working mother can fully
realize what my life has become. I probably will have to file for bankruptcy as
a last resort this month.”
Daria
is a 36 year-old mother of one who has lost five jobs in the last ten months.
She moved from up north to Florida on word of mouth about all the jobs
available. Little did she know before moving that the jobs she heard about were
vanishing onto thin air. The factory jobs and manufacturing jobs that were so
prevalent just two years ago have been eliminated or moved to other cities or
sectors.
All
that seems to be available are low income service industry jobs or temporary
fill in jobs. What little jobs that become available are sought by hundreds of
unemployed workers desperate for any position no matter how menial.
She
has struggled to be hired only to be eliminated due to economic setbacks within
weeks of getting into the job and setting herself up for some sort of job
security. After getting the prospect of financial security and the hope of
catching up with her bills, she sees the job disappear and has to start her
employment search all over again.
“It’s
an exercise in tenacity at best” she sighs. “Thank you George Bush, we’re
really seeing our bright future and prosperity!” As she puts on a dim and vague
smile she describes her worries and fears. You can see her desperation and fear
for tomorrow etched in the worried lines of her face.
She
has rarely found reason to smile in the last year and the laughs are few and
far between. The ability to relax and have a truly enjoyable time has been
yanked out from under her and her good times have dried up.
“I
have never had to live like this in my life. This never seemed possible to me
before I moved down here. I had to live in a motel for two months and in
various shelters before I got a permanent apartment.” She now lives in a two-room
studio that is barely big enough for her and her daughter.
“This
is no way for my kid to live. No kid should have to go through this. I mean I
feel so bad sometimes that I can’t give her more security and the things she
really needs. I tried to file bankruptcy after being forced to live on my
credit cards rather than be homeless and have my kid out on the street. I am so
broke I can’t even afford to pay the lawyer the filing fee for the bankruptcy
so the bills keep coming in.
“My
neighbors watch out for me and it kind of makes me slightly embarrassed, like I
can’t take care of my kid. I never had it where my neighbors have to help me,
but I’m not going to turn it down. Everybody has to take help sometimes and it
helps me get by with a little extra food to feed my kid.”
Melissa
is a 21 year-old mother of one who has been homeless or in emergency shelters
numerous times in the past two years. At first her husband struggled side by
side with her to provide for their child. After being on unemployment for
almost a year and bouncing from job to job, her husband finally just left one
day.
Because
he left out of necessity she now qualifies for state child care benefits and
barely enough food stamps to feed her and her daughter. She has not seen her
husband for months and knows if he comes back she will lose her benefits and
fall back into the pit of poverty and hopelessness.
“I
cannot see my husband anymore and it hurts so bad he had to go away. He is
working a great job and saving quite a bit of money. I am even scared to let him mail me a few hundred dollars a
month. If it wasn’t for that coming in I would be back on the streets with my
three year old.”
“I
have not been able to really explain to her where her daddy is. She can’t
really grasp why we have had to live in overcrowded shelters for weeks at a
time. She keeps getting settled in somewhere and then we have to move on to
another temporary housing shelter.”
“I
have kept a single room apartment for three months now, but I am $400 behind in
my rent. I manage to pay $80-$100 a week and that just keeps me in the place. I
had to live at my friend’s house for a week after the landlord locked me out
until I could come up with $200.”
Mary
is a mother of four who has never been married and had no problem keeping a
well paying secretarial/ data entry job until about a year ago. She fits the
pattern of single women losing good jobs and being forced over the brink of
poverty.
She
has been among the 60% recorded increase in single mothers between the ages of
19-32 becoming newly homeless. This figure is growing everyday as more single
mothers are forced onto the street with their children.
She
has managed to keep a room in a Christian based woman’s halfway house so she
can save up enough rent for an apartment or small house. The halfway house has
extended the rule on the length of stay for the 20 women and their 47 children
from 3-6 months to a full year upon proven necessity.
“I
have four kids between five and twelve. It is almost impossible to clothe them,
feed them, and buy the small things they need to be reasonably happy and
content.” She sits in a wooden chair and hugs herself as she recounts the woes
that have overridden her simple life, and take away any sense of a future with
even a small measure of security.
The
tears flow freely down her face as the hurt and anger boil out of her. “Just to
have someone listen to me and try to let my voice be heard is overwhelming. I
just feel myself sinking deeper into hopelessness and the worst depression I’ve
ever felt. No one wants to listen to me or give me an outlet for my simple
worries and let me cry it out.”
“My
twelve year old daughter knows how close we are to being separated from each
other. I have almost had my kids taken from me three times. I love my kids with
all my heart and have always been able to provide for them. I want my kids to
be able to go to college if they want to get a better life for their kids, if
they have them.”
I
have to move out of this shelter next month. I will have just enough for a decent
apartment or small house for a few months. I will have a small window where my
rent is paid and I can try to get everything back on track. All I hope for is
to keep my place and put my kids back in a good school and give them some
stability. If I can make it through the first three to six months it will all
get better.”
“That
is my only wish right now. It’s that simple.”
Amy
is a 25 year-old mother of three. Her story is slightly different, but also all
too familiar with the daily struggle increasing with each setback she
encounters. She has just filed for filed for bankruptcy and lost her small,
prosperous business.
Her
house is in mortgage repossession and she is fighting the bank over a $2000
missed payment. She says she has paid almost half of the mortgage and never
been late on a payment until a few months ago. Now she has less then a month to
come up with the late payment. She must also come up with the next quarterly
payment a few weeks after that.
The
only comments she had was a bitter tirade against George W. Bush and his “Leave
No Child Behind” promise, and all the promises of economic revival and
prosperity for the working class.
“I
actually voted for that lying asshole and gave that whole scamming party my
confidence. I believed the promises and new riches they dangled in front of us
like an empty pipe dream. I damn sure will not ever vote for or support a
Republican again!”
“George
Bush ought to try living my life for a week. He should come down from his high
horse and bust his ass like most of the people I know. Brighter future my ass.
What a sick joke on all the hardworking Americans.”
“I
had my own business that I built up since I was nineteen. I had a real dream
that became my entire life. I was living the promise of the American small
business owner. Two years ago I had a huge profit margin and was about to open
another small craft and deco boutique. Now I don’t have a pot to piss in and I
had to sell my business to a rich guy who is just interested in turning a
profit. He doesn’t care about the personal touch that I put into it for years
to get my customer’s loyalty.”
“All
I have to say to theses rich guys that took over our country is that the little
people are getting raped and chewed up and spit out. They have no interest or concern for all the drowning real life
people that still believe the lies about an economic recovery.”
I
could include many more personal stories of single mothers in crisis but the
stories are all strikingly similar. All the interviews I did for this article
portray a tale of the skyrocketing poverty rate.
Here
are some harsh facts about the children that have become the true victims of
this great depression that is engulfing our country. Their mothers are slipping
below the surface of poverty but they are the ones who suffer without
understanding why or being able to fully comprehend the nature of the
situation.
18%
of American children, almost 15 million, live in poverty, meaning their
parents' income is at or below the federal poverty level. 8% of America’s
children, 6 million, live in extreme poverty. 39% of American children, 28
million, live in low-income families. That means that over half of all children
in America are facing this growing crisis of starvation, insecure housing, and
an uncertain future. (US Census Bureau figures)
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty02.html
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income.html
3-5
people in food lines and having to use soup kitchens or supplemental food
resources are children. 18 million children are estimated to have to miss at
least one meal a day. Without the basic services provided by Americas Second
Harvest and other food distribution groups, many children would not eat at all.
Now
that you have heard some of the voices of the affected single mothers you might
be able to feel their desperation and agony. Through their words and the stark
facts that are all too real for many, I have tried to take you into the
problem. I have tried to let you experience it first hand so that you may have
greater understanding.
If
you are in similar circumstances you are not alone. If you are one of the
Americans still living comfortably with little or no worries, just remember how
easy it is to fall into the same trap many are in.
Most
Americans are now within a few paychecks of losing their homes and everything
that goes with their normal lives. Something as simple as losing a job for even
a few weeks is enough to start the long slide into poverty and starvation that
is facing millions of Americans.
Maybe
together we can change the current trend of disenfranchising even more
Americans. It is time for us to take back the control of our destiny and
future. If our current leaders choose to ignore our plight they should be
replaced with leaders that will ensure the future of America’s children.
The
bottom line is that a huge majority of the children are now affected by the
crisis facing single mothers in poverty or at the borderline. If we choose to
ignore their fate then we truly have failed as a nation.
We
are not following the “Leave No Child Behind” promise. We are making sure we
leave all of them behind. Leaving them behind to go hungry and live on and off
the streets until the state steps in and places them in just as shaky and
unstable situation of foster care.
The
promise George Bush repeated for months on end is now echoing empty and broken.
It leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of the needy Americans who are raising
our very future. They here all the promises while the children go to bed hungry
and not knowing where the next meal will come from.
If
this is what America has become then we need a true change. If this is all that
we can expect of this once great nation then the dream of all hopeful Americans
is now dead.
For some further reading I wrote an article dealing
with the new rise in homelessness and poverty:
Scoop: Homeless
And Starving In The Land Of The Free
Scoop: US
Homelessness and Poverty Rates Skyrocket While Billions are Spent Overseas
on Occupation
Jay Shaft is editor of the Coalition
For Free Thought In Media. He can be reached at: freethoughtinmedia2@yahoo.com