Family Situation

Hello:  Just need somewhere to get this off my mind. I had it out with my youngest niece today over her not going to her GED classes. "I have a headache, I'm tired."  Just all sorts of excuses.  I told her that I was angry with her, that attending classes is mandatory, that I was tired of her excuses.  She basically told me to F--- off and stormed to her room. 

Background:  Niece is 18. She moved here with her mother (my sister) and my other niece in February due to my sister's extremely bad health. My sister is going through the Social Security disability process. I have had to help with their rent and utilities because my sister has absolutely no money at all, no savings, nothing. It was either I help my sister or she would be literally in a homeless shelter.  She is in her 50s and no longer able to work. For many years, my sister and I were estranged due to her lifestyle. She partied, did drugs, and basically told me what her 18 y/o daughter did way back in 1987. So, we hardly ever saw each other for about 20+ years. Along the way, my sister had 4 kids and cleaned up her act a bit, but her lifestyle has taken a HUGE toll on her health and her children. One son is in prison, one daughter committed suicide, and the youngest (18 y/o) has attempted drug overdose twice also. Only my other neice seems stable. She is working full time and the sole support in her family of her mother and sister.

I told my 18 y/o niece that getting her education was a priority. She had to take GED classes. She dropped out in 9th grade and basically slept and partied her way to age 18.  She had made all sorts of excuses to miss class, and today I basically laid down the law to her.  But this is as far as I go.  I've gone through a lot for my family in the last two months setting them up in an apartment, getting them the state aid for medical and psychiatric therapy, as well as running them around.  My sister can no longer drive.  Needless to say, my youngest niece has no car.

Now she wants to go back to their old home and has spent the day calling someone to get her. No one will come of course or send her money to fly home. My sister is almost in hysterics about all this, blaming me for speaking so harshly to my niece. But I told them all that their old lifestyle cannot continue here. When my sister's disability is started, they are welcome to go where they want and live the way they want. But until then, it is either here with my financial assistance to my older niece who is working but barely able to afford all the living expenses or in a homeless shelter for my sister and my youngest niece. I sure don't want that but I have my own life and 3 children to worry about too.

Sorry this is so long. I feel so burdened by these people even if they are family. I've probably explained this all so harshly but I'm just really sick and tired of it all.