If you read the article, you can pretty quickly figure out what the real cause of this family's problems is.
Although [Chanda] Davis held a steady job at a grocery store in Cathedral Heights, [29-year-old Melvin] Wellington [Sr.] worked only sporadically as an inventory clerk and deliveryman for kitchen appliances.
Searching for Melvin Wellington on Google reveals a Linkedin profile where he identifies himself as a "songwriter"
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melvin-wellington-05911a98/ His Facebook account is a revelation, as well
https://www.facebook.com/aafertiel
The article goes on to describe that the family was put on a bus to live with Melvin's 52-year-old mother in a two bedroom apartment in North Carolina.
Reached by telephone in North Carolina, Yvette Wellington, 52, recalled her conversation with the social worker who phoned. “She was like, they was homeless or whatever, and blah, blah, blah,” Yvette Wellington said.
“I said, ‘No, I can’t take none of them,’ ” she said. “But the next thing I know, Chanda and Melvin and all the kids were at my house.”
After a few tense days, Melvin and Yvette Wellington argued, and the family left. “I don’t have a problem taking care of them kids, but I ain’t taking care of no grown-ups,” Yvette Wellington said. “They homeless ’cause they want to be f---ing homeless.”
So, this guy's fathered three children with a woman he hasn't bothered to marry and fancies himself as some sort of musician rather than face up to the fact that if you have three kids you need to be making money regularly, not nursing some vague dream of being a musician and hoping you'll hit it big some day.