ATLANTA — Update: After this story aired on 12/11/20, the Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta reached out to connect with Kimberly and her family and see how they may assist with her situation.
Welcomed into the world in the middle of a pandemic.
Nevaeh Grace West was born on October 7, 2020, at 4 p.m. in the afternoon, her mother Kimberly Perry told 11Alive's Liza Lucas.
"They told us she had Trisomy 21," Kimberly said, "which is Down syndrome ... but they assured us everything would be ok."
But Kimberly said Nevaeh's health has taken a turn since birth.
"She's not ok," Kimberly said. "She's literally fighting for her life."
According to Perry, Nevaeh is awaiting heart surgery while being cared for at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Meanwhile, her brother and sisters wait for their new sister to come home, a home Kimberly is trying desperately to hold onto.
"I was trying to look for another job," Kimberly said. "And then their hiring process froze. I had to go apply for unemployment. I withdrew money from my 401k."
Kimberly lost her job early last year. She said the pandemic and pregnancy complications have made finding work even more difficult. As a result, she downsized her apartment and like 19 million Americans, she's relying on unemployment benefits to get by.
While the US added 245,000 jobs in November, the report marked the fewest jobs added since April.
Meanwhile, Kimberly is torn between days spent juggling her kids' virtual school and her nights spent with Nevaeh.
"When they're asleep, my mom comes over, she watches them while I go," Kimberly said. "I wanted to get a night job or something but they're telling me about surgery now."
Heart surgery is not the only health hurdle ahead for Nevaeh. Kimberly said that even when her daughter comes home, her immune system will be comprised after surgery, meaning there's a risk in sending the other kids back to in-person learning.
Meanwhile, Kimberly's unemployment benefits expired this week.
"I've been just trying to deal with it, trying to juggle the kids and where they're going to go and see who can facilitate the online learning. I tried doing Lyft the other day," she said. "It wasn't that busy because people are fearful of COVID. I tried Instacart."
"Right now, I'm focused on the rent and the bills," she said. "We have help for [December]...because I've saved up from unemployment but next month I don't know."
A mother -- pulled in different directions, praying for her daughter's health and her family's security.
"I just want [Nevaeh] to get better," Kimberly said. "And I want to do everything in my power to make sure my kids are taken care of."
Kimberly said she's primarily focused on keeping a roof over her family's head now that her benefits have expired but transportation is also a concern. The family's car can't hold all five kids once Nevaeh can come home.
UPDATE: Since our story aired, the Salvation Army has reached out to Kimberly to see if their organization can help with rental assistance. Given the community interest, Kimberly also set up a GoFundMe.
RESOURCES
City of Atlanta residents can apply for mortgage, rent, and utility assistance through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program. The deadline to apply online for the Atlanta COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program is December 14. The deadline to apply at in-person events is December 19. Due to an influx of applications, a spokesperson for United Way Atlanta said applications that are pending will be prioritized over new applicants.
For those that are outside the City of Atlanta, resources are available through United Way of Greater Atlanta’s 2-1-1 Contact Center. You can access resources by dialing 2-1-1, but due to high call volumes, the easiest way to access resources through 2-1-1 is to search the online database at http://211online.unitedwayatlanta.org/. You can also send a text message to 898211 with the keyword 211od. From there, you will be asked for your zip code and 2-1-1 will provide resources in your area.
Visit the Georgia Department of Community Affairs for more resources.