Yes, I agree being a poor senior in CA seems like a bad choice. I guess some people don’t feel they can make a change so late in life.
Thank God I don't live in CA, and all my kids are out of there at last. (Denver is bad enough...)I am seeing the first real--but small--increase in my SS income since Mr. Redhead died in 2003. At that time, the retirement from his union widow's benefit was half of his, and still the same amount 15 years later.
But selling a townhome in MN gave me enough to buy a smaller, older house in AK and buy a small annuity for $24,000. It's not great, but it's better than being on the street or in Sec8. You learn to live on your income, be satisfied with enough, and take care of things that need it, without going overboard.
Yes, and or with Sect. 8 and Food Stamps and California State Supplemental Payment (SSP) and low utilities she has enough to get by and may be then some. Considering what the Atlantic left out then there might be more to this.