need a little help... (low income, section 8, loans)

[pharmdblues]

i have lived in long island for the past few years, so i feel i little stupid asking this question. my family is now going through...well, tough times. i do not wish to dwell on it too much as i have not grasped the magnitude of the problem. but, unfortunately, it is becoming more and more likely that my parents will separate and we will have to make many decisions we've never really considered seriously.

i am very lost, and quite honestly, terrified. as it is, once the divorce occurs, my 12 year old sister and i will be living with my mother. her take home income right now is approximately $1200 a month.

i work as well. however, i work part time as i go to an expensive private university [no, there is no cheaper state university near home which offers the pharmd program. the nearest in state university is in buffalo]. i work more during summers. my work allows me to take my burden off of her, so to say. as i pay for my monthly pass, any personal spending or eating out. all my tuition is on loans, which i will be paying off after graduation. i am considering taking another 2 or 3k in loans each year to help her financially as my mother gets extremely wasted after 40 hours of work each week due to health complications. she brought up taking a second job, but i do not want to risk my mother's health for this.

so we basically need to live off her income for now. i should be able to bring home $3000 to supplement other expenses we may have during four months of summer if i get full time hours every summer. that should help a little somewhere, i hope. i do not believe our father will pay for child support for my sister. so i am not counting on that at all.

as it is right now, i am 19 and was recently accepted into pharmacy school in the city. if i can survive these next 4 to 5 years, i can take on the financial responsibilities of my mother and sister. the question is, how the heck am i going to survive these next few years without having to give up school and start working full time. this is where you guys come in. i was hoping that someone on this forum can help point out somethings to me here. someone who has gone through a low income situation. i know that we can apply for medicaid. that takes care of health costs. i know that we can try and see if we can get food stamps. that should cover food. hopefully. i have no idea how it works and how much is given, but i am sure we will make do with whatever we have to work with. anything at this point helps.

my main concern right now is housing. we can do without cell phones [or get cheap prepaid ones for emergencies], i can pay for the internet connection with my summer income and a voip phone service through skype or something to cut down the cost. we can do without cable. but we do not want to sacrifice a decent neighborhood where my sister can grow up safely. please contact me if you can give me any kind of information.

btw, we are located in nassau county. thank you so much for giving me your time and reading this long explanation. things are so fuzzed up inside my head right now, i don't know what's going on.

[KellyFG]

wow, what a big burden for such a young person! How about your Dads share? Won't he be paying child support for you and your sister? Your Mom might qualify for a section 8 voucher for housing since she has two dependants.
I wish you alot of luck!

[Peter B]

First off, it would be a good idea to contact these folks http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/dss/DSSHome.htm

and see what can be done to ease your situation. Best of luck in Pharmacy You put in your 4 -5 years, get your Pharm D and you'll be able to work anywhere in the country with an $8000.00 per month starting salary And, if you gain employment with Walgreens, they usually throw in a $10000-$15000 signing bonus