Family makes due with tight living conditions

It's definitely a tight squeeze for this family of five - a small, two-bedroom trailer that's hard to keep warm in the winter.

"The furnace is just old," the mom said. "Our monthly heating bill can be anywhere from $350 to $400. We've been there almost three years now. The trailer's cheap and that helps us a lot."

"Last year I was unemployed for 4 months after I got laid off - me and a lot of others. At least I've got a job again now."

Their young son has respiratory problems and his physician believes some of them may be the result of living in the old trailer.

"It's the mold here, they think," the mom said. "He's had respiratory problems in the past. It seems like he's always getting sick now. They think he might have asthma and winter's always the worst time.

"The trailer doesn't have double-pane windows and it's really hard to keep it warm. We use our wood stove a lot."

The dad stays home with two of the children because they are not yet school-age and daycare has been expensive for them. The family has one car, so the dad is responsible for getting everyone in the family to where they each need to be that day.

"I've always wanted to be phlebotomist," the mom said. "But I guess that's not in the cards for me right now. What with working full time and being a full-time mom, it's not easy for me to get much time for myself."

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