© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Though Troy, N.Y., is still 80 percent white, black and Hispanic men moving into town from New York City have made working-class Troy a melting pot. Since the time of the Montagues and Capulets, romantic love can break old prejudices, and on a practical level many women see these street-wise young men as cash cows via the street drug trade--with the ability to make big, fast money that hometown boys working at the Walmart or local auto mechanic's labor for hours to earn.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Deana Garron, mother of seven, split up with the father of her oldest three children when the couple was still in their teens. The children's father has custody of the three, and Deana went on to have four more children with two subsequent boyfriends. The Family Court in Troy, N.Y., threatened Deana with jail time if she did not get a job and pay child support to the custodial father of her oldest children. Back child support was over $5,000, and two of Deana's youngest, ages 7 and 8, have special needs and suffer from emotional disorders, which makes time away from their mother difficult. Deana finally found a job at a local gas station mini-mart and juggles raising four children as a single parent while still living on a limited income. Half of her check goes to the court for child support, leaving less that $200 per week for the family of five. Because she is employed, she loses her food stamp benefits of over $500 per month--so actually, she works over 40 hours per week to only have about $300 more than she was getting from food stamps and social services.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Deana's two youngest daughters wait outside her job for her to get off from work.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Deana's kids wait for their grandmother to pick them up after school so they can stay with her until midnight when their mom gets off from work. The kids are supposed to fold laundry and clean the house. Dylan, 9, is surrounded by women and makes fun of the girls by imitating them.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Deana's oldest daughter, Valerie, is 15 and has been raised by Deana's mother since she was an infant. Deana was a bride at 15 and the marriage did not last. Valerie calls both women "Mom." Here she is ready for her boyfriend's sophomore prom. Valerie already has an engagement ring from her boyfriend--she is the same age her mother was when she was married.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dana's family are devout Christians. She had become pregnant just before her 18th birthday with a boy who was younger and went to prison for two years early in the pregnancy. Dana's father, church, and family do not approve of sex out of wedlock, and coupled with the fact that Dana's child would not have a father to help provide for her, Dana entered into an open adoption with a family who also goes to her church. Two years later, Dana met and fell in love with Ali, a young man from Pakistan. For a while they remained only friends due to the religious differences. Eventually, Ali began to go to Dana's church and converted to Christianity. The couple's romance became physical and Dana became pregnant with his child. This time she was 20 years old and the only choice was for her to live up to her Christian beliefs and marry Ali. So, at eight months pregnant, the couple had a wedding in the church that has been such a driving force in their lives. Dana gave birth six weeks after the wedding.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dana and Ali live in a small but well-kept apartment and the baby shower given at the church was a huge success--the couple could barely fit all the gifts inside. Ali works at a disaster cleaning service; Dana stays home wth the new baby and Ali's 3-year-old daughter from a previous girlfriend.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dana, Ali, Ali's first daughter, and the new baby praying together the baby's first night home.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dana at six months pregnant with her first child--she was going to keep the baby at that point and was living in her room at her father's house. This photo was taken at a neighboring friend's house as there was friction between her and her father over the pregnancy, the fact that she was not married, and the baby's father was in jail.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dana at 18 with her first daughter the morning that she was to leave the baby with her new adoptive parents.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dana at 21 years old--now married and ready to take her baby home with her husband and step-daughter.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Laurie, mother of four, worked at the Marriott when she was evicted during a bout of depression over a broken relationship. Co-worker Deborah worked there too and took Laurie and her kids home to live in the upstairs of the house that her boyfriend owned and where Deb lives with her seven kids.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Laurie Smith, a 34-year-old mother of four, met Bob after she and her children had been evicted for failure to pay rent. A co-worker at the hotel where Laurie worked as a housekeeper allowed her to move in. Laurie's friend Deborah had a brother who had just been released from prison and the two became a couple. Three years later, much of the couple's relationship has been spent with Bob returning to prison and Laurie supporting him with her wages. Laurie has had to move into Deborah's basement and send her four children to live with various relatives during her recent bout of homelessness. Love is often the most "expensive" commodity that a poor woman can have--and the most necessary in the face of fewer other long-range opportunities.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Laurie's oldest daughter, Megan, the first week in the apartment. She was not registered in school yet so she stayed home with her sister and ate cereal.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Katie, Laurie's youngest, plays with her dolls while she waits for her mother to come home.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
When Lorrain's family lost their apartment, her girlfriend Carmella let the family of four come to stay in her already crowded household of six. With no extra money for recreation, the kids amused themselves on summer days with video games, soft drinks, Pringles chips and other unhealthy snacks. The boys shared a makeshift bedroom in the semi-finished attic of the family's four-bedroom house.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Dina takes a break from "skating" on the inflatable pool of water that has frozen in the family yard. The landlord stated the condition of the yard as one of the reasons for evicting Dina's family.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Chris and his brothers hang out after school until their mother gets home from her job as a hotel housekeeper. The three hours between school dismissal and when working parents return home can be the most dangerous for kids whose parents cannot afford or do not have child-care support. Chris' father is in prison and this year Chris was placed in a juvenile jail for starting fires in the neighborhood after school while his mother was still at work.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Kayla Stoklas, 17, and her mother, Deborah Stoklas, 41, ride together in the morning to begin their respective shifts at 7 a.m. Kayla has a 3-year-old son and quit school in the 9th grade to take her first job at Dunkin' Donuts. Deborah, whose mother was the last of the steel processors to work in the area, works in food service at an assisted-living facility for mentally impaired residents. Both women make under $10 per hour and both support children.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Kayla at 16 with her 2-year-old son D' Anthony.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Kayla and James watch a movie after Kayla returned from her alternative high school for young mothers. James is on the run from the local law enforcement after he left a court-mandated drug treatment program to be with Kayla. He cannot leave the house except for when he walks Kayla to and from school. James has become increasingly possessive of Kayla and uses his fugitive status to defend his jealousy. By the time Kayla reached 18 she had "no friends" to invite to a birthday party. She was 17 years old at the time of this picture and her son was 3.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
James, Kayla's brother and his friend babysit Kayla's son and her little brother while Kayla and her mother are at work.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Kayla after six months of getting up at 4:30 a.m. to work at Dunkin' Donuts. She won't be 18 years old for another four months and already is exhausted at the end of a shift. James stays home with Kayla's son while she works.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
Kayla looking attractive for James who feels neglected after being home all day with D'Anthony.
© Brenda Ann Kenneally
D'Anthony just before his third birthday.
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