'"I don't think our politicians know how high the stakes are here, and after so many years have gone by with our situation still as devastated as it is, I don't know if they care," she says.'
The short answer is no they (the politicians) don't care.  When the budget plan was unveiled earlier this year where assistant programs helping people like residents in Aberdeen will be greatly cut, one of the architect Congressmen of this bill touted the tough love approach, talking about personal responsibility, self-reliance and escape dependency.  No problem with this thinking, we all should, but I can't help but read between the lines what he meant without saying: some folks may not make it but there will be less drain to the society and some of these people may be beyond help anyway.  This may be a pragmatic expectation.  Administration with more compassion to the down and out will not be willing to accept too much of the casualties (i.e. less cut if any) but not the Trump administration.