More money would come if the family got Supplemental Security Income, the disability benefit known as SSI. Two of the children show signs of a learning disability. Plenty of people rely on their SSI checks, but Chanel refuses to apply for the benefit, as evinced by her records. This may seem contradictory for a woman who routinely steals, but Chanel’s moral compass is mysteriously complex. She believes that “special needs” children internalize the label, accruing a school record that “marks them for life.” As proof, she points to another family at Auburn, whose children get “like four checks,
...more
