I suppose you could ask if you could just have a room and be around more, but you'd still work part time while taking classes. If her back's been out, then it could be beneficial for her to have you around, even. But I wouldn't say you should expect this. Maybe you could also ask your brother for similar assistance? Or take the same kind of route he did and see if you can get hooked up with a position you could grow from? There may be other options... like I suppose you could marry a millionaire.