Hi!
Thank you very much for the replies.
So this is some additional information about the story.
The protagonist's name is Arthur and he had a very strong bond and close relationship with his late sister (the opposite with his older brother). They had an abusive father. The sister was the only one to stand her ground against the abuser. Arthur, the youngest, was commonly the favorite target of his father's rage, so it was common that his sister acted as his protector (or at least tried). Their mother was a victim of the abuse too and to survive, she excused her husband's behavior by blaming the children or minimizing the situations.
Despite the extended family cared for Arthur, his brother and sister, nobody dared to criticize the parenting skills of Arthur's father...with the exception of grandma. The grandmother loved the children unconditionally and dared to give advise to their father. In Arthur's eyes, she was the only adult figure who believed in him. Grandma died when Arthur was 17 years old. Arthur never met his grandfather.
Due to his upbringing, as an adult Arthur has experienced light symptoms of PTSD without knowing it, and once Arthur is taking care of his niece, every mistake the protagonist makes while rising her creates a burden because Arthur thinks he is like his father. Thus, he now experiences full PTSD symptoms.
* Where is the father? He died in the same event Arthur's sister died.
* Are there no adult relatives who aren't in college? Yes. Arthur was so concerned with her niece's fate that he talked to the people he thought could take care of her. Arthur talked with his brother who loves children (other people's children) and has the means, but there was a reason why the brother decided not to procreate. Other candidate was Arthur's brother-in-law...a hard worker, family man father of 4 children. He did want to take care of the child, but his wife was not willing to do the work. The grandparents in the husband's side are struggling with their own problems as the grandfather is in dialysis and the grandmother could not take care more responsibilities. Other relatives were willing to take care the child only for some days.
As "unknown screenwriter" said, there was no way Arthur would let his niece to end up living in foster care or an orphanage. There is also one important reason Arthur feels he has some responsibility in the matter. Arthur thinks he is in debt with his sister. She always tried to protect him...take care of him in the middle of the storm. Now, he needs to give back and protect her sister's daughter.
Thank you very much for your replies. I really appreciate the feedback.
I'm still developing the story and trying to see where this can lead me.
Have a great and productive day!