An old student debt 89'

Hi there.  I read some of the other stories and I am still going through them to see if I can't find someway to help myself.  But I just feel like I am stuck in a big puddle of mud.  I am a single mom of four kids...3 teenagers and now 1 toddler.  I was attending college in 89, and I ended up going for surgery and then dealing with an infection and trouble with healing.  I missed enough classes that I was advised to drop out.  I returned my grants that I had received and I was preparing to return my student loan as well.  But in the process I went to Social Services to apply for aide for help with my rent that month as I was yet unemployed.  The social worker told me that if I give back my loan that they would refuse to assist me for one month.  I was just a teenager back then and I didn't want to return to my parents home.....I had left an unhappy situation behind me and really didn't want to return to it.  I ended up using the student loan to pay my rent and bills as I was told too, and after I had healed from my surgery, I went to back to work.  I did try to keep up on my payments, in 1993 I discovered that I was pregnant.  I was in a bad relationship and tried to work on that for my child...but ended up having two more children.  I was married and miserable.  I was living in an abusive relationship....we never had enough groceries or clothes.  My parents were supporting me and my children as my husband was not.  In 2010 I was finally divorced.  I am now living in low income housing....and with a toddler who has allergies to pretty much everything and raising him without support from his father.  I tried to apply for a student loan to go back to school and become dependent on myself.  Something I have never really done. I have lived on my own for 4 years now....and I want to overcome this life of poverty.  I am unable to afford to do anything for my kids....and everything I do have goes towards just keep the rent and bills paid and trying to keep everyone fed.  I can't keep this up much more and I am going nuts!!  I have applied for social assistance to see if I could get help with some of this weight, but I don't qualify because I am babysitting a couple of kids and with child support for the first three that puts me just over their scale for help.  This is ridiculous!  The costs of gluten free, dairy free, soy free, all nut free, wheat free and egg free....and with further allergies to beef and chicken....I am ready to pull my hair out!  I have kids to raise and they deserve much better then this.  I am doing everything that I can to be penny wise here....cloth diapers and breast feeding the wee one.....
When I called about my outdated student loan, they said they would send me a print out of my debt so that I could see it on paper.  So ok, I got it and I am studying over it.  And wow....somehow someone other then myself made payments in 93,94,96 and 97....I was busy being pregnant with no money during that time so there was no way that I could drop afew hundred onto my account.  I had already defaulted on it.  So I called them back to ask where that came from....because of those payments my loan stayed active until 2003 and I do not qualify for any student loans.  So now I sit here laughing at my own stupidity....regretting my mistakes of my youth and hating myself for staying in such a depressing relationship for 16 years.....I don't qualify for a student loan and I don't qualify for social assistance.....and I need to feed my kids and clothe them. 
Any advice right now would be helpful.  As I am so lost and frustrated.  I don't know what else to do. 
THank you,
goingnuts

Could the payments be from withheld taxes?  If that is the case then the SOL would have run out. What city do you live in?   There are numerous programs out there for women just like yourself.

Hi, thank you for your replies.  I am living presently in Victoria, BC.  I am originally from GP, AB.  All my family is back there....it is tempting to move back home for sure.  But first I need to establish if my youngest who is allergic fullblown and anaphylatic to many foods and environmental things would be ok there.  I know how expensive the cost of living is up there too with the inflated lifestyles that everyone is living with the awesome jobs.  But having a child with so many allergies and being thrilled with his doctors here right now sort of is outweighing the idea of moving back at this time.  It is hard when you have to weigh $$$ for living and health against each other, because you need the $$$ in order to eat healthy and be healthy....I think.  Sorry for rambling.  My loans were from AB. 
THank you again :)

What is the status of these loans?  Are you receiving collections calls? Sometimes activity has been recorded so they can claim that the loan is not statute barred.   Do not write anything to these people about your loan, as doing so would cause you to lose your statute barred status.

It is admirable that you want to pay off the loan, but remember, this system is badly broken and does not help the people who need help the most.  You need to take care of yourself and your family first.

Bankruptcy will cause a debt to survive a limitation though. Bad move if you want to excercise rights in that regard. Same with Consumer proposals. Bankruptcy is not a solution to anything these days based on what consumer goals are.