<prompt> Human: Hi all, Im in a bit of a situation here, and im writing this partially to vent, and partially as a cry for advice. My partner of 7 years not married is in some serious financial trouble. Her mother never worked, and depended on her father most of her life. The father left them, and this caused them to loose the home when she was still a minor. By the time the father had left her mother, her mom had become disabled and partially blind. Following that, they moved into a corporate owned apartment, which continues to increase rent every year. They are in such a bad financial situation that they cannot even afford to save enough money for a deposit to move to another place. She has her bachelors degree graduated this year, but is also in quite a bit of debt. She has been unable to find a job, because she didnt get much work experience relevant to her field her economic status didnt allow her the luxury to do unpaid internships, she had to work retail throughout school. She is the first person in her family to go to college, but her family continues to be a giant burden on her. Recently, her mom found out that she owed over 40k, this freaked out my girlfriend. The entire family of 3 Mom, her, and young brother is basically living on gov. assistance, and my girlfriends measly 500 or so a month in part-time retail earnings. I am not in a great financial situation either, as I am currently in graduate school, 2 states away from her, and am only able to come back to visit during summers and winter sometimes in between for a few short days. We both grew up poor, we were both the first in our family to go to college. The big difference between her family and mine is that my mother worked since she was very young, and learned to not depend on anyone she raised me entirely on her own. She sacrificed a lot so that I could go to school, and have the opportunities I have had. I have been lucky to have a mother like her, and have worked hard to make it into a PhD program with full funding. Further, I currently have zero debt to my name. In contrast, my partners family continuously pressured her throughout her college career, due to their financial situation. She feels the pressure of all of the mothers debt, and now her credit is at risk. Since discovering her mothers recent debt, they have been unable to get enough money together to pay rent, and her name is on the apartment lease. I know that I could easily quit my PhD program, move back to my hometown, and get a decent paying job around 45,000year with just my M.A., but I also dont think that would be wise. I cant help but feel some responsibility, some sense of duty to help her. Dont get me wrong, I hate the situation that her family has put her in, and for that I resent her family. But I love her, and I want the best for her. I just dont know what I should do, if anything. I wrote this partially to vent, but also to ask for advice. Im super frustrated about her situation, but can only imagine the stress she must be going through. I have helped her as much as I can in applying for jobs, but the lack of experience is really hurting her. What can we do in this situation? More importantly, other than asking for a 1 year deferment for her loans which she has been granted, what can she do given her horrible situation? Thank you all so much.  <response>: Do not sacrifice your future to help her mother by proxy. Your GF needs to work more than part time. If all she can work is part time than she needs a second part time. Your girlfriends family dynamics are her issue to deal with. Her mother is disabled and for whatever reason has not learned to master the English language. I know this sounds harsh but if your Gf wants to get out of poverty she is going to have to leave her mother behind, which in some cultures is a no-no. 