Exaltacion Divinagracia, 80, waits outside of the Islamic Center in Los Angeles. Her income is above the federal poverty level, but she relies on food pantries to make ends meet. (Katie Falkenberg / For The Times)
A recent UCLA study found that elderly Californians, on average, need twice the federal poverty rate to get by. (Katie Falkenberg / For The Times)
Divinagracia took in six roommates to pay the $1,800 rent in her Westlake home. Her husband died six years ago. (Katie Falkenberg / For The Times)
Orencio B. Salem is one of Divinagracia’s six roommates. He and a widow live in the living room, using a sheet to partition off their spaces. (Katie Falkenberg / For The Times)
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Esther Neri, 83, and her husband Vance Neri, 89, eat dinner on a tiny school desk in their bedroom. She cooks on a hot plate in their room because Divinagracia’s kitchen is so crowded in the evenings. (Katie Falkenberg / For The Times)
Frances Dudley, 73, of Los Angeles was a preschool teacher for 17 years. She receives Social Security but has to “pinch pennies” to make ends meet -- taking the bus when she cannot afford to buy gas and running a fan for only an hour before bed on hot days. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
