Accounting, continued

I got yet another letter from the social worker telling me that I am not eligible for benefits for the month of December. She is basing her decision on totally fictious income figures, as usual. I've been buttoning up the accounting for the 2008 taxes, and our business lost money again this year. As I don't track things like food and sundries, I don't know how far in the hole we are for last year, but it looks like about $10,000. I'm going to bring the finalized tax forms to the office to show the social worker, but she's dead set against keeping me on any benefits. If they don't want to help us, I understand. Why help me because my business is failing? I am, and have been, looking for a job. I have an interview on Monday (tomorrow). I hope that I get the job, but competition for a job is vile up here, because there are so few of them. My job at the Dollar Tree is reduced to 5 hours a week, if I am lucky, and next week, I'm not lucky. There are no scheduled hours for me next week. Which means, for the DOllar Tree job, I'm going to be earning about $60 a month. I'm going to be seeing my counselor, also, tomorrow, and I'm hoping that I can become more stabalized over the course of the next couple of weeks. My goal is to get a job good enough that I can start paying down on the debt and getting the household in order. I have to make some repairs that I don't have the money for, and whether I stay here or not, I need to get some work done to make the place more livable. I'm confused about what to plan for the future, but the first step is to dig out of this pit I'm in now. I cannot stand living in this house, so in any case, I have to make some improvements on it. After fixing the place up, who knows? Maybe the housing market will improve enough that I can put it on the market with actual hopes of selling it and getting out of here. If I decide to move, it will be just the kid and me, and my brother will be on his own. Right now, our finances are intermingled, which makes it very difficult to really understand where we are financially (each), but if I can sell the house, everything will get paid off and we'll both move on. Maybe. Who knows - I'm confused. If I get a job, and things start to improve and I can get some work done on the place, maybe I won't hate it so much and I'll want to stay.  Anything is possible...