I’m a single mom of a special needs child. Trump’s policies might leave us homeless.

High prices, lost jobs, and cuts to critical social services have devastated my family.

Photo by Klara Kulikova/Unsplash

By Lisa from Home of the Brave

As a single mother of a child with autism and Tourette’s syndrome, it can be difficult to make ends meet. We moved to our community in a suburb of Birmingham, AL because the local high school offered a great special ed program that I knew he could benefit from. But I’ve been beaten down by Trump’s economy, and today I find myself—for the first time in my life—on the verge of losing my home.

Right now I’m paying triple what I used to pay for gas and groceries. Trump campaigned on lowering prices out of the gate, saying: “Starting on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods.” But I haven’t seen that yet, nor have any of my friends and neighbors. In my household, we’ve tried to cut back, but there’s only so far you can make your dollars stretch with prices this high, and no end in sight.

I used to work as a delivery driver in our local community. It was a job I did well, and for two and a half years I took pride in going out every day and doing my part. I always hit my metrics, even driving long shifts in the 100-plus degree Southern heat. I never complained about it, because I knew I was doing what I needed to to keep our family afloat. Then, one day, I lost my job, like so many others who have suffered under Trump’s sagging economic numbers.

Without a job, I’m now facing the prospect of being evicted from my one-bedroom home. I’ve had to pay thousands in back-rent, court costs, and attorney’s fees while just trying to hold on. And the whole time, prices for my day-to-day goods just keep going up. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve had to start a GoFundMe just to help cover the costs and keep a roof over my and my son’s heads. It’s the last thing standing between us and homelessness.

There aren’t many resources to turn to in our state anymore. Following Trump’s lead, Alabama’s Republican state leadership has cut back on critical services for low-income families. And this administration’s massive cuts to the Department of Education have removed many special ed resources that people like us rely on. The message we’re receiving today from our so-called leadership is loud and clear: You’re on your own.

I have a confession to make: I voted for Donald Trump in 2016. I liked some of the things he was promising back then, but I quickly found out they were all lies. Since then, we’ve seen nothing but hypocrisy, corruption, and deep cuts from an administration that clearly doesn’t care about the “forgotten men and women” it claims to speak for. Not only will I never vote for Trump again; I’ll never vote for a Republican again as long as I live.

I’m 56 years old. For the first time in my life, I no longer feel safe in my own country. Our family—and countless others like us—has been pushed to the brink by this administration’s destructive economic policies, and its seeming refusal to extend a helping hand to anyone in need. Instead, they lie shamelessly; they cut taxes for wealthy people and corporations; and the president himself takes multimillion-dollar bribes from the Oval Office, in plain sight. Meanwhile, it’s ordinary people who suffer the consequences.

Our family—and my son in particular—deserves better than this.

Lisa is a mother who lives in Alabama, and a participant in Home of the Brave, a new initiative highlighting the harms of Donald Trump’s second term. Her GoFundMe is here.