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Mary
had been living in a low-budget hotel, after moving out of her
midtown apartment because it had mold on the ceiling and no
electricity. She
remembers, “It wasn’t a healthy place for someone who was
pregnant and certainly not for a newborn baby.”
But without a permanent address, Mary and Alexes were
considered homeless, which is a red flag. The
hospital staff followed state law by notifying DFS, but they really
didn’t want to see Mary and Alexes separated. A
DFS caseworker started looking for options, eventually finding space
for the single mom and her newborn baby in the emergency family
shelter at reStart. Mary was familiar with reStart’s homelessness program. She’d been in their shelter a couple of times over the past eight years. Life has been an ongoing struggle for Mary. She was born with a mild form of cerebral palsy, requiring annual trips to the Shriner’s Hospital in St. Louis until she was a teenager. She prefers not to talk about her childhood or home life, except to say “It wasn’t good.” She didn’t graduate from high school and at the age of 18, checked herself into a mental hospital. She
eventually joined the Job Corps, earning her GED and learning
practical skills that help her cope with everyday life.
Even with her GED and newfound confidence, Mary still had
trouble finding a decent job. She’s
been forced to turn to a number of CFC agencies over the years, for
everything from mental health counseling to medical care, food,
clothing and even shelter. The
past three years, she’s been working as a women’s room attendant
at Have a Nice Day Café in Westport.
She works from 7 p.m. until closing four days a week.
Her job includes keeping the bathrooms clean and providing
towels, perfume, and hairspray for customers.
Even with tips, she only makes $500 or $600 per month, but
she loves her job anyway. She
relies on the bus or taxis to get back and forth from work.
Mary is fortunate to have a good friend who watches Alexes as
a favor while she’s at work.
All of the programs are at least partially funded by CFC agencies. Without them, it’s doubtful that Mary and Alexes would be together today. If they weren’t, we’d have a broken-hearted mother, another child in state foster care and worst of all, a missed opportunity to build that special bond between mother and daughter that can be so important later in life. |
As
a new mother, Mary is determined to lead a more stable life, for the
sake of he daughter.