“I Can’t Sleep In My Car Again… It’s Not Good For My Sons”

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A 47-year-old single mother is pleading for help after she says she was forced to sleep on the beach with her two autistic sons. The heartbreaking ordeal comes just a year after losing her husband to colon cancer.

It was on Saunders Beach where Ameca Ford-McKenzie says she and her sons spent the night in their car after being told by their landlord they could no longer stay in their apartment.

“I appreciated he was helping me,” Ford-McKenzie said. “But I told him I still haven’t gotten assistance from social services to get a place for me and my boys. He said there’s nothing he could do, I have to go. So me and my kids, we ended up sleeping on Saunders Beach last night in the car.”

Ford-McKenzie says life has been a struggle since her husband’s death, especially with both of her sons being autistic, one of whom has difficulty walking long distances, while the other is speech delayed.

“My oldest son, who’s 14 and has autism, walks on his tippy toes and can’t walk very far because he gets pain,” she explained. “The other child, they said he is speech delayed.”

The mother says she’s visited three social services offices over the past few weeks but has yet to receive help. Despite the challenges, she recently started a new job as a security officer, hoping it’s a step toward stability.

“I just need to make sure my children have a roof over their heads,” she said. “I don’t want to be living in a car on the street with my boys, especially in their condition, it’s not good for them.”

Those wishing to assist Ameca Ford-McKenzie and her sons can reach her directly at (242) 808-5799.