Myra Y

Myra has dealt with many hardships in her life, including abuse as a young girl that forced her to leave home as a teenager. She spent several years living in abandoned houses, exposed to drugs and prostitution before deciding that she needed to make a change in her life. Myra has now been clean for several years, and says that her son, Todd, keeps her alive. She worries that at some point Todd will be taken away from her by his birth mother, a relative of Myra’s who since she left prison is fighting for custody of the boy. Myra’s husband is also a recovering addict, and they are separated until Myra can feel assured that he won’t relapse. Along with some small financial support that he brings to the house to pay bills, Myra’s only sources of income are Todd’s SSI-disability check, which barely covers the cost of rent, and a small amount of cash assistance. She and Todd get food stamps and medical insurance, but the food stamps don’t last through the month, and the two of them often don’t have enough to eat. Right now they are just barely keeping afloat in a house that is falling apart and with a fixed income that is never enough for all of their expenses.