>> alexia ansley: so, we were homeless, at a point in time. my mom's friend's house, just some of her random friends, and we would sleep on their couch for a couple of days. and then, once they kicked us out, we'd go to another couch. we mostly stayed at crack houses and just slept on their couches. >> whitaker: couch hopping ended five years ago, when the children were legally taken in by their mom's mother, beth. alexia is now 16. brayden is 13; mackenzy 11; and ember 8. all pitch in at grandmom's house. it's now home. >> whitaker: what's better about living with grandmom than living with your mother? >> brayden klaus: we get regular food and we get, like, nice clothing. >> ember goode: we have stuffed animals. we don't have a bathroom filled with dirty clothes, up like a mountain. >> mackenzy goode: and we always know that we're going to have a decent meal that'll fill us up, so we're not sleeping hungry. >> whitaker: mackenzy, i heard that you would sleep on the stairs. >> mackenzy goode: yeah, because-- so my mom, she would, like, leave i