Working Single Mom for 15 years

[SpiderMom]

Hello Ladies, I dislike having to introduce myself in the dire straights that I'm in, but I really don't know how to do it any other way at this moment. I've been a hard working single mom of one incredible young lady for the past 15 years. Her father has long since passed away- after embezzling everything I had and some other peoples as well, he basically ended up in jail the year after we married, then died. I never remarried. I have no family within 2000 miles, and I've been too busy supporting myself and my daughter that I've not a dependable social network. I love my current job of working with adults that suffer from a variety of mental illnesses, it is very challenging and emotionally fulfilling, but unfortunately I'm still making entry level pay for non-entry level job functions. I pay a mortgage on an old home that I started renovating myself a few years ago. I drive a beat up old station wagon that doubles as a truck at times. My education has been very non-traditional. I'm frequently having to play the 'who can I pay now and who can I pay next payday and what can/can't we go without this week' game. I'm sure all of you can relate to the whole nine yards. I've been blessed through most of this with excellent physical health, so it had helped. Not now. The past two years I've suffered a serious decline in my health, which has reduced my ability to function in all the areas I need to be able to function in. I've nearly had my home foreclosed on, various utilities have been shut off before I could arrange to have them on again, needed paperwork gets put to the side until its too late, and much more. I've tried every local, county, and state agency I am aware of for help, followed up on every potential resource offered- right down to applying for mortgage assistance. I'm still working 8 hours a day. I make too much gross to qualify for human services assistance. Disability is not an option (yet- so I'm told). My mortgage company seriously mishandled my application for refinancing assistance. My home is not even worth it to sell in the condition it is in. I've had medical co-pays for specialists at least three or four times a month since last summer. I'm facing a complete loss of everything I've worked hard for, and to top it all off, this coming Monday morning I'm being assessed by a spinal surgeon for surgery that may not even fix the problem, and is very risky.

Well, that was a novel of an introduction. I'd better stop with that. I am just fed up with the situation I'm in, and needed to reach out. Maybe I can help someone else!

[NancyPhoton]

Not sure if I can help much here, but saw you mention something along the lines of refinancing and I thought I might share a cool refinance home loan infographics that I stumbled on a few days ago: http://www.mortgagechoice.com.au/tips-and-checklists/refinance-home-loan-infographics.aspx

[Barb]

Hello and welcome to our forum SpiderMom. I have been a poster to this forum for a few months and I find it comforting to be able to talk about my problems and also to be able to give advice to others. I know that this site is meant for single moms but I was once a single mom and now I am a single grandmother. I have had similar experiences as yourself. in 2005 I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and it was all down hill from there. In 2007 I was forced to leave my job because the pain from the Fibro was so bad that I could hardly stand up. Every inch of my body hurt even the ends of my hair,(HA HA). I lost my home to foreclosure about six months after my job went and had to go live with one family member after another. It took two years before I received disability and I had to live at the expense of those family members. I am now living on my own and I get a small amount from social security disability. Less than $1000 a month. I go without a lot of things but I've come to the realization that I don't need them. I have two cats and they keep me company. I wish I had something to offer you as far as possible solutions to your problem but I've gone down that road and there isn't much help out there for people like us. I am 64 years old and I am either too young for this program or too old for that program. Sometimes it is I receive too much from social security disability or I don't make enough to get into an apartment. My youngest son had to co-sign for me to get a place to live. But in the long run things somehow seem to work its way out. Hang in there and if I hear of anything positive with help for people with disabilities that will work for you I'll post it here. Hopefully you will do the same. God Bless and good luck.