My name is Betsy Martin, I am 72 years old and live in Las Vegas with my partner, Ed. On February 4, we took in my 2 grandchildren, Stephanie, 14, and Zachary, 7, after Child Protective Services (CPS) removed them from my daughter and her husband's home (their mother and stepfather). Stephanie had run away twice, claiming that her stepdad had been inappropriate with her. There was also constant arguing in the household and she just wanted to get away from all the anger and abuse. The first time Stephanie ran away, she was found several hours later at a neighbor's house; the second time, the police found her after she had been missing for almost 3 days and took her to Child Haven, where she spent two weeks. After fingerprinting and running background checks on Ed and me, CPS gave custody of Stephanie and her little brother, Zachary, to us.

My daughter has supervised visitation but her husband is not allowed any contact, except by phone with Zach. My granddaughter is sleeping on a bed in the living room and Zach is sleeping in a crowded bedroom. We need to get a storage unit to make room for the bunk bed that is currently in the garage, so they can both be in an actual bedroom and restore the living room to a somewhat normal condition.

However, we are both on a fixed income, living from one Social Security check to the next and we were already on a tight budget. We both have to take 3 months worth of classes to get a Foster Care License, which we have yet to start. Until then, we can't receive any financial help whatsoever from the County. My electric bill was over $300 last month and my water bill has more than doubled.

My grandson has ADHD and has to go to appointments 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday), and my granddaughter goes to counseling once a week. Zachary just recently started going back to physical school on Mondays and Tuesdays, which means that I drive him back and forth across town. He will be going back full-time in another month. My car is 17 years old and I'm not sure how much longer it's going to last.

I have a really hard time keeping track of all of their classes and appointments. This is all very overwhelming for me, especially at my age and at this stage in my life. However, I took them in because they're my grandchildren and I love them more than anything. And if I didn't take them, they would be placed in foster care with strangers and maybe even separated.

I was told by welfare that I am not even eligible to receive food stamps. So we're pretty much on our own for now as far as supporting them. Once they return to school, they are both going to need to get their uniforms and new shoes. I have no money to buy those things nor do I have any credit cards.

Saturday I had a free inspection done on my HVAC system. The unit is 14 years old, has been working intermittently for a while and is pretty much on its last leg. The cost to repair it would be more than half of the cost of a new unit (probably at least $10,000 for a new one). Right now the weather in Las Vegas is quite mild, but once spring and summer come around, the temperature goes way over 100 and it's absolutely unbearable without a/c!

Besides needing a new HVAC unit and my car being really old, my dishwasher leaks and my water heater needs to be replaced. I am receiving absolutely no financial help from the county, welfare, the kids' parents or anyone. I never dreamed that my retirement would be like this, especially since I've been retired for the last 10 years.