Friends came to her aid.
One friend wired her $200 while she was driving away from her old apartment, enabling her to find refuge in a motel along the way. But Sue worried there wouldn't be any more charity for the money and gas she desperately needed. Helped by gas cards donated by a church, Sue decided to return to her hometown. She figured the health-care safety net there was better, as well as the job market. She contacted a local shelter but learned there was a waiting list. Welfare was not an option, because she didn't have young children. And, Sue knew that none of her three adult sons were in a position to help her. "I knew the only help I was going to get was from me myself," Sue said. I thought to myself: I have to take care of myself. I really, really need to get work. I need a job. I don't want to be seen as a parasite.