Jamila: Front Line Worker and Mom
Jamila has two demanding jobs: healthcare worker and mom. She has her hands full raising her six children, who range in age from 7 to 24, and working as a phlebotomist in Mesa, Arizona, in the midst of COVID-19. Despite her essential status and her work on the front line, Jamila’s hours were cut down to thirty hours from full time, and now she is trying to make ends meet with less income and her children home from school. “I work hard, I got an education--I went to two years of school to get my certification--and still I am struggling. By the time I get home, it’s eight or nine o’clock at night. I cook my kids food and then by 9 or 9:30 I need to take a shower to be getting in bed and wake up again at 7,” she said.
Jamila’s two older children, 21 and 24, were out of the house and living on their own, but her 21-year-old daughter lost her job and had to move back home. She is able to help out with her siblings while Jamila works, but since all four of the younger children are out of school and trying to homeschool, it’s been challenging. “It’s been awful having them all displaced from school and their childcare program,” she said.
On top of the chaos of COVID-19, Jamila’s family has to move, because after years their landlord has told them that he is selling the house they are living in. Jamila is not sure how she will be able to afford to move, and the children are devastated about leaving their neighborhood and friends. “I have lived here for five years now, and I had no problems. I have never been late on my rent, anything. And now I am being displaced,” she said. “I don’t know how this is going to work since moving is going to cost me money,” she said.
Jamila used the emergency grant from SaverLife to pay her utilities. “It was through the grace of God that I saw that email because it came to an email address I don’t use often. But it came to my phone, I applied, and you got back to me so quickly,” she said.
Jamila has been a SaverLife member for a while and has built up some savings. But she is hoping not to touch it as she rides out this difficult time, because her employer, Honor Healthcare, has set up a matching program with SaverLife so that if Jamila puts $300 in her account, she is able to receive $300 from Honor. “It’s my favorite program. I have my savings, but I am not going to touch it, because I want to get to the goal. I was on a really good track with that...when I got on your platform, I thought to myself, this is nothing less than amazing. All the COVID information, the links to go and do things. It’s great to have a way to save and track your spending,” she said.
Jamila is trying to save up more money to eventually be able to buy a home for her and her children. “It’s my dream to get my roots planted somewhere and have stability, and never have to move again,” she said.