After 20 years spent homeless in Washington, D.C., Wanda Witter is finally back in an apartment of her own – with a government check for almost $100,000 sitting in her bank account.
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Holding on to her Social Security and pension paperwork throughout those years was the evidence that finally convinced the government that she had indeed been paid less than she deserved. Witter told The Washington Post. “It’s not user friendly”, Turner, who’s worked for the Downtown Cluster of Congregations since 1987, told ABC News. “I can’t even fathom”.
The 80-year-old former machinist from Corning, N.Y., is a divorcee and mother of four, but she spent her nights in a sleeping bag on a sidewalk near the corner of 13th and G streets NW in Washington, D.C., according to the Washington Post.
Too proud to tell her family about the severity of her situation, Witter moved into a shelter. She couldn’t find work and ended up in a shelter. “That was the ideal place to look for a job”.
Then Witter was connected with a social worker.
Witter made countless calls, yet couldn’t get any answers. Armed with a dolly and three suitcases full of social security documents and research, Witter found help from a social worker who poured over the papers. She was afraid and more than a little bit angry at loosing her independence and freedom.
In this August 10, 2016, photo, with suitcases in arms reach, Wanda Witter, who is homeless, beds down in her sleeping spot outside the Au Bon Pain on 13th and G Street in Washington.
Turner helped Witter win a lengthy battle against the Social Security Administration, according to The Washington Post, which first reported Witter’s story. However, the monthly checks varied wildly, from $900 to $300. “You never know that the next check will come”, she said. In the meantime, she refused to cash the checks. On Tuesday, the big Social Security check – this one written for $99,999 – arrived in her account.
She added, “These are systemic obstacles for homeless people trying to get their benefits”.
“If I just cashed them, who would believe me that they were wrong?”
“People who are homeless remain homeless, and people remain disabled if they’re disabled”, Turner said. “I’m angry at what has happened to me, but I am not depressed and I am not mentally ill”. Witter, 80, was recently attacked at the location, suffering a black eye and two stitches.
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“The country is getting ready to change administrations in the next few months, but I don’t hear anyone but Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren talking about Social Security”, Turner said, referring to senators from Vermont and MA, respectively. There, attorney Daniela de la Piedra went through her paperwork, and lo and behold.
