Minimize your expenses. Remember, cash is king, so dont rush out and pay off your debts. If you have credit cards, try to make the minimum payments. Noodles are a great meal and can be purchased for less than a $ for an entire serving. Cut unnecessary expenses. Cable TV is not necessary, neither is internet. Find your local library and use their internet. Dont refinance cars or open up HELOCs if you already own the asset or have equity in it.

Doing so will allow them to remove such things if you have to file for bankruptcy. How long have they been married? It is important that if he is out of the picture to get your mothers name and you name off of any credit cards or accounts (VERY IMPORTANT). See if you can get a fraud alert on your credit report to prevent him from opening up credit cards in your names. Go to annualcreditreport.com and get a credit report for both your mother and you to see if any rogue accounts are listed. Use ChexSystems to see any banking accounts that both of you may not know about (and you may be listed on) consumerdebit.com. Use choicetrust to see property, criminal filings and legal filings for both of you (choicetrust.com). With ChoiceTrust, click on "Personal Property" then click the title near the "One free report per year". All are FREE under FACTA.

At this point, a divorce may be your best route. If they have been married for awhile, any debts he accumulates will be shared with your mother. This is very very important. I know a few people who where married, one left, and 1-2 years later, they find out they are responsible for a 60k credit card that the other spouse ran up.

If there is ANY physical abuse, seek help. There are groups that will protect both of you. If abuse exists, they will house you in a safe place, provide security and possibly temporary employment. If debtors are threatning you, call the police and file a report.

Take action and seek help. Join a local church and let them know of your situation (Really, go to the pastor and ask). They will not give you money, but they may help with food and help your mother seek employment (regardless of your religion)

absolutely legal.

last month...not last money

king....get some assistance wit the gov.

In my area, Catholic Social Services helps recent immigrants, regardless of their religion, as they are a non-profit organization, not a religious one.
If you are in the country legally, there are many more options, if not, you may want to go to your original country's consulate, and seek help there.
It is likely much easier for you to find work than for your mother; but perhaps you are already working. If you are still in high school, remember that your education is primary. Seek help from your school counselors, and they may be able to set you up to receive credit from working your job.

I heard that volunteering and non-profits may help, otherwise I'd try to seek out unemployment and workforce incentive programs.

Hope that this financial crisis works out for you!

Trust me I know how you feel.

Not trying to be unsympathetic to your situation, but let me ask, being a "recent immigrant", are you in the US legally? If not, forget about looking at federal government programs.

paul kennard~because i haven't been in new york for 1 year,so i cant enjoy most of benefits.but thank you very much indeed.

The question is hard to answer as you provide little to no information about the daily situation. What type of dwelling are you living in? House? Apartment? with relatives? Have you managed to put away any emergency funds? If so, how much? What are your average monthly expenses -- cut to the bare essentials? Does anyone know how to cook? First (and easiest) discretionary expenditure is meals out (and that includes the occasional $4 Starbucks). Don't buy magazines or newspapers; read them for free at the public library. Got an Internet connection? consider ditching it and also using the public library's connection. As for your mother's employment options, again, too many variables to consider to give any constructive advice or observations. And of course, any credit cards - GET RID OF THEM! don't charge another thing. And given your finances, if you have credit card debt you may want to consider stopping making anything but minimum payments to buy yourself a little time until an income can be sorted out. And mobile phones! A HUGE drain on monthly budgets. Trim down the time you spend yakking on the phone (if you have a cell phone). If you think about it, most conversations people have on cell phones are not life or death. Consider dropping phone options you don't use, and if you're allotted a certain number of minutes per month, make sure you don't exceed them.

I am very sorry to hear about your situation, this is clearly a very challenging time for your family.

I recommend you start by looking at federal government programs: http://www.govbenefits.gov/ - take the survey on the site as it will point you and your mother in the direction of programs to assist.

The 2nd thing to do is reach out to your community church, or school. Many assistance programs and groups operate at a local level and can probably assist you greatly in navigating the federal programs.

Check back with us after your next step.