Holy cow!! Minus the ice box, this described my Grandparent’s place in East Chicago to a tea!!
My Dad grew up outside of Boston, some scenic location called Dorchester.
They moved further out every few years as the city grew up around them.
His stories about growing up in the Depression were amazing, and the housing sounds much like this.
But they always found enough food (and ale) for the holidays, some years borrowing a little from the neighbors, most years “loaning” a little to others.