An 80-year-old woman packed and ready to move says she's trapped in her apartment because a nonprofit is still holding onto her Social Security benefits — even after the program that once supported her abruptly shut down and gave her just 10 days to leave.
According to a report by WHEC-TV in Rochester, New York, Georgia Johnson is one of many elderly and disabled residents evicted from Hudson Ridge and Danforth Towers in Rochester following the sudden closure of the Enriched Housing Program last month. The program, run by Family Service of Rochester, was supposed to help residents live independently by using their government benefits to pay rent and provide support services.
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Instead, residents say they were blindsided.
"This country is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave," Johnson said. "But in other countries, they take care of their elders."
Johnson has end-stage congestive heart failure and kidney failure. Though she's mentally sharp, she's physically frail. Her belongings are packed in bins and boxes — but she can't move. She says Family Service of Rochester still controls her money and hasn't returned it.
"How can they be so heartless to take people's money when they have to live?" Johnson asked.
She said the organization promised to refund her May Social Security check and told her it would be returned by May 20, but the money never came. Her daughter, Jannine Johnson, helped her file paperwork with the Social Security office to remove Family Service as her representative payee.
"That money was supposed to be put in mommy's account on [June 3]," said Jannine.
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But it didn't happen, Jannine said. The Social Security Administration mistakenly sent the June check back to Family Service. Johnson was then instructed to get the nonprofit to issue her a check.
She's tried. She's still waiting.
Family Service of Rochester told WHEC in a statement that it is following instructions from the local Social Security office and will continue to act as payee until officially replaced,
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Johnson's situation is made worse by the type of housing now being offered.
"Want to hear the shocker?" she said. "They told me — you see all this stuff here? — they told me I was going to be in one room with a partner."
"That wasn't even a downsize. That was a no-size," she added.
Her daughter has found an assisted living facility that could work — if they can access the funds. Until then, Johnson remains stuck in limbo.
The state Department of Health told WHEC that the quality of care provided by the nonprofit was so poor it endangered residents' health and safety. Meanwhile, the Rochester Housing Authority claims Family Service is $400,000 behind in rent payments.
The legal scrutiny is now intensifying.
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The Monroe County District Attorney and the New York State Attorney General's Office both confirm they are investigating the situation. The U.S. Attorney's Office has not confirmed whether it has opened a case, according to the report.
WHEC reported that Family Service said it is working with Social Security officials to get Johnson's money returned.
Her story has sparked outrage online, where commenters have called the situation "shameful," "cruel," and "the kind of thing that shouldn't happen in America." Some expressed disbelief that a nonprofit could still act as a payee after shutting down services. Others shared their own experiences trying to help elderly parents reclaim benefits from similar arrangements.
A few offered non-legal suggestions: visiting the local SSA office in person, escalating to the fraud department, and involving elected officials who can expedite SSA actions. One user wrote, "My mom got her money back only after we filed a congressional inquiry." Another added, "Keep calling. The squeaky wheel gets the oil."
While Johnson and her daughter continue pushing through the system, the money intended to support her still sits out of reach — held by a service that no longer exists.
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