By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A SINGLE mother who was forced to sleep in her car with her two autistic sons at Saunders Beach has been given temporary housing assistance by members of the Coalition of Independents (COI).

Ameca Ford McKenzie, 47, said she was brought to tears when COI leader Lincoln Bain and his team showed up on Monday night to help. The mother of two, who lost her husband to colon cancer earlier this year, said life has been a daily struggle since his death.

“Being a mother, first of all, is great,” she said, “but the challenge is, like, how I lost my husband recently to colon cancer, that is when life became a little tough on me,” she said. “When he was alive, we used to pull together, but after he died, I’ve never been single before, so that became hard on me.”

She and her husband had been married for 25 years, and she described him as the “hand and foot” of the family.

Ms McKenzie, who works as a security officer, said she fell behind on rent after months of financial difficulty. She said that when she reached out to the Department of Social Services for help, officials told her there was a wait list for assistance. “They had put me on hold because they said that they have a lot of people who were in front of me,” she said. “They had no place, but when they get something, they would let me know.”

Two nights before her interview, she said she was told to leave her apartment and had nowhere else to go. Most of her relatives live on the Family Islands or in the United States. Desperate, she parked her Nissan Note at Saunders Beach, where she and her sons, aged 14 and eight, spent two sleepless nights.

“It was bad, truly was bad,” she said.

“I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown. My babies were crying, especially the small one. He almost got a fever. It was terrible. In all my life, I never experienced anything like that.”

She said the ordeal shook her deeply, but her faith kept her calm. “I slept in between, but I was not in fear at all because I took my Bible out and I read and I asked Jehovah for protection over me and my children, and I was at peace.”

Since her story was publicised, Ms McKenzie said she has been overwhelmed by calls, messages, and offers of support. “I think it’s a miracle,” she said. “I honestly didn’t think that it would have turned out like this. I feel blessed because I didn’t think people who don’t know me would care like that.”

She said the outpouring of kindness has renewed her faith. “It opened my eyes, but to be honest with you, it strengthened me more,” Ms McKenzie said. “It strengthened me to never take nothing for granted, even though I’m going through this, I’m still thankful to God, because there’s others out there who may be going through worse.”

Her sons, who are both enrolled in school, were finally able to rest after two nights in the car.

Amid the public support, Ms McKenzie said her employer also reached out after seeing the story.

“My boss, after hearing the news and seeing everything, she said she’s going to put me on full-time,” she said.

Now, Ms McKenzie said her focus is on rebuilding stability for her family, adding that she refuses to let pride stand in the way of seeking help.

“I never battle with shame and never battle with pride,” she said. “But especially for my children, when it comes to my children, I never prideful and shame, I put that aside.”