AMELIA JONES

A life falls apart, but mom keeps looking up

By AMY ROYSTER
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Amelia Jones is in a lot of pain.
It’s heartbreak.
And bad as it feels, it’s not her biggest problem.
Her family is hungry. Her baby needs diapers. And she has to talk someone into baby-sitting so she can get to work.
There’s no time to indulge in sentimental feelings about the life she used to have back when she was a stay-at-home mom. Back when her family lived in a modest home. Back before this 29-year-old woman who has never had so much as a parking ticket, found out the love of her life had done a very bad thing.
Three weeks after giving birth by C-section, her children’s father went to prison for stealing from his employer, and Amelia went to work as a waitress.
When Daniel Ramos, director of Program Reach at Pat Reeves Village, a homeless shelter in West Palm Beach, met Amelia, she was clutching a ragged list of free resources, surviving by running from homeless shelter to church to community center, desperately trying to piece together enough food and supplies to get her family through each day.
“She would really rather work,” Ramos says.
But how can a mother leave for work — even when she really needs to work — if her three young children are unattended? And how can she earn money to pay a sitter when she cannot work?
And, as if that cycle is not overwhelming enough, Amelia’s car was stolen.
“I have anxiety. Sometimes I can’t catch my breath. But when I wake up, there are my babies looking at me, so when I wake up, I go.”
Ramos gave Amelia temporary shelter at Pat Reeves Village. And for a while she took the bus to a job at Wal-Mart, but after a couple of months she quit to avoid being fired for missing work on days when nobody could watch her kids.
She got her current job — one day a week as a cashier — by begging the business owner every day for a month. She makes about $75 a day. Half goes to child care that she scrambles to find each week “by calling and begging everyone I know.”
Still, Amelia teaches her children to thank God for all their blessings, “I tell them we could be living under a bridge. I show them the homeless when I take them for walks.”
She is rejoicing at the recent news that Adopt-A-Family has accepted her application for permanent housing.
Now she can focus on finding child care and more work. She dreams of going to school and becoming a kindergarten teacher.
“I just want to be normal,” Amelia says. “I want to work. I want to be able to take care of my family and not have to be always asking for help.”
The father of her children now lives with another woman and provides no financial support. Sometimes he calls, and when he does, Amelia hides her heartache and says, “Yay, it’s Daddy!”
Ramos says he has witnessed this selflessness many times.
Regardless of how Amelia Jones may be feeling on any given day, she knows Tailor, 4, Montel, 3, and Paiton, 1, need her.

AMELIA’S WISH

A car — “nothing fancy” — to replace the one that was stolen. Child care for her 1-year-old. A job during school hours: This outgoing, friendly woman has experience as a baker, waitress and cashier. Children’s clothing: size 10 boys, size 12 boys shoe, size 7/8 girls, size 12 girls shoe, size 4T girls, size 5 girls shoe. A car seat for her 1-year-old. A child’s potty. Diapers and wipes. Bikes with training wheels for her older children and a push toy for the baby to give her children for Christmas.

Nominated by The Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County Inc. 4101 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33405. (561) 616-1222.

UPDATE

It’s been a long road for Amelia Jones, but she’s in the driver’s seat of a Dodge Grand Caravan now.

Amelia went from being a stay-at-home mother of three young children to being homeless, hungry and heartbroken when the father left.

She’s been slowly putting the pieces back together, working whenever she can arrange child care, and accepting help from Program Reach at Pat Reeves Village, Adopt-a-Family and The Post’s Season to Share program.

Post readers who identified with Amelia’s story donated clothing, toys and bikes for her children. So many gifts came in that Amelia was able to provide a nice Christmas for her family this year.

Dave and Linda Delzoppo of Loxohatchee donated a minivan with room for Tailor, 4, Montel, 3, and Paiton, 1. Amelia recently brought her children to meet the Delzoppos. She drove up smiling.

“You have made our life so much easier,” Amelia told them. “We went from riding trains, buses and walking miles every day to driving. God bless you.”