The Unsigned Lease

In 2019, twenty-three-year-old Desiree Martinez sat in a county social worker's office in Bakersfield, California, staring at a manila folder. Inside were the records of three siblings — ages two, four, and six — who needed a foster home by Friday. Desiree had just finished her teaching credential. She lived in a one-bedroom apartment. She had no partner, no savings to speak of, and a used Honda with a check-engine light that never turned off.…