Annie’s Mailbox: Granddaughter needs own place

Dear Annie: My 42-year-old granddaughter is currently living with me. She has been evicted twice for not paying rent, her credit is no good, and she can’t find anybody who will rent to her. She has three young children who are living with my son (her father) and his wife.

I am 83 years young and cannot have the children here. It’s bad enough that her dog is here. It also isn’t right that my son, who is 66 with several disabilities, is raising another family, but he and his wife don’t know how to resolve the situation.

It’s great for me to have my granddaughter here to help me with things I can no longer do, but this can’t go on. She has a good job, although it is not full time and the pay is low, but she could afford to rent a place with a roommate. What advice can you give us? – Can’t Handle Much More

Dear Can’t: How your son chooses to handle his daughter is up to him. Please don’t give him unsolicited advice. Since you can use your granddaughter’s help around the house, consider letting her save up some money while you encourage her to find full-time employment. Discuss taking in a roommate (or two) in a place of her own, although it would be difficult to find a setup that will also accommodate three young children.

We understand that you aren’t crazy about this situation, but your choice is to let her stay or throw her out. You cannot fix the root of her problem, which is earning enough money and handling it responsibly.