Hoax?

This doesn't seem very real.
The woman who drove in from out-of-state and slept in her car in cemetaries?
A woman who slept in a U-Haul truck with her cat, but couldn't lock it from the inside and had her handbag and pistol stolen?
A woman who's husband left her 13 years ago, she couldn't collect child support, and all of a sudden she is on the street or living with friends?
A working woman who lost her husband, lost her job, yet is living in a hotel?
A woman who lost her money (no mention of how she lost her husband and sons) in a "bad investment" and lived in her car, yet she still manages to wangle chiropractor treatment and a Malibu beachside living arrangement while she is part-time household help?

The stories didn't really add up. Horrible government (Section 8 housing!) assistance? No, I don't think so, they help hundreds of thousands in L.A. County. This was filmed in 1991, and nothing has really changed since then. I would love to know if any viewers know these women or other characters; would love to know what eventually happened to them today.