Angela Babin lives in a mobile home in Houma, Louisiana, about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.
Her heat and electricity haven’t worked very well since Hurricane Ida swept through the area three years ago, and she has to boil all her water on the stove to drink or use it. This makes her nervous: she suffers from arthritis and she fears she will burn herself trying to move a pot that is still bubbling.
Babin, 62, lives alone. She’s been doing it for years, ever since her mother and brother died. The three of them lived together, with Babin as caregiver. They were the only family she had left, she said.
Now, Babin is kept company by her two cats and two dogs, who “mean the world” to her. She lives off her Social Security income, which she began receiving in 2008 after having to retire early for medical reasons. According to documents reviewed by Business Insider, the check amounts to $1,104 per month.
Even with the Social Security check and some SNAP food benefits, Babin said it’s difficult to afford groceries. She rarely wears new clothes and hasn’t been able to afford a haircut in years.
“I have to survive,” she said. “I do not have a choice.”
Babin’s experience mirrors other experiences heard by BI. A growing number of seniors in the United States are facing a retirement crisis as limited or no savings accounts force many of them to rely on Social Security — a federal fund that could begin to decline. decrease by 2030.
Peak boomers, the last cohort of people under age 65 to retire, are particularly vulnerable to these retirement challenges. The Census Bureau’s current population survey found that more than half of Americans over 65 have an annual income of $30,000 or less.
Babin said she “never in a million years” thought she would find herself in such a financial situation.
Babin’s mobile home needs repairs, but she struggles to meet daily expenses
About 16 years ago, Babin and her husband divorced. She lost most of her property in the colony and was forced to stop working and begin collecting Social Security around this time due to complications from diabetes. She no longer has any savings.
Like millions of other older Americans living on a fixed Social Security income, Babin said it’s difficult to get by.
When Hurricane Ida hit southeast Louisiana in 2021, the mobile home Babin owns was severely damaged. Repairs are expensive and she hasn’t been able to fix much of it since the storm. That’s why her hot water isn’t working, she said.
Babin also worries about having enough to eat. She said she received $28 a month in SNAP benefits, but that was barely enough to cover bread, milk and coffee. From time to time, Babin visits food pantries, but she says the food is often spoiled or she can’t eat the available foods because of her diabetes.
For health care, Babin is enrolled in Medicaid and Medicare, which covers most of her health care and insulin costs. She has a car, but usually only goes to essential places like the doctor’s office because she can barely afford gas.
ADDED:It is particularly difficult for single people and the elderly to qualify for assistance. In the United States, many safety nets are in place for families with young dependent children.
Babin, for example, Babin cannot access programs like WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children), TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), and some tax credits because she lives alone. And, even though her Social Security income is close enough to the poverty line to qualify for SNAP, the support she receives is limited — and can’t help cover her other expenses.
With limited options for help, Babin feels stuck.
“I don’t want to be rich, I just need to be comfortable,” she said. “I just want to know that I can have food when I need it and a good roof over my head.”
Are you living paycheck to paycheck or on Social Security? Are you ready to share how you spend your money? If so, contact this reporter at allisonkelly@businessinsider.com.
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