Bay Area Senior Advocates (BASA) celebrates another success story!

The combined efforts of BASA Member organizations and businesses have proven to positively affect the lives of area seniors. One recent success story is that of area resident Terry Berth. Terry’s situation was brought to the attention BASA through one of its members, Kristin Harrison of Munson Home Health, who became aware of Terry’s situation through their work together in their local church (Windward).

Terry was struggling financially after being let go from his job. He received help from friends and his church, however, being 58 years old he was not eligible for standard forms of senior assistance.

The perfect storm - a recessed economy, increased competition for jobs, and age-related employment barriers - has created a crisis for America’s older low-income workers. Being between 55 and 62 years of age is also very challenging if you are unemployed because this age group many times fall “between the cracks” as they are not eligible for many standard resources and assistance. The unemployment rate for this age group is the highest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tabulating data by age in 1948.

BASA has a Senior Support Team that provides support to adults 50+, accessing available resources, navigating the systems and at times providing limited financial support in emergency situations. Terry’s advocate explored all available resources and services, provided a one-time assistance check of $300.00 to help him with back rent.

Terry Berth had contacted the local Experience Works program, the nation’s largest provider of temporary paid-training and employment opportunities for low-income seniors, and worked with Experience Works assistant, Kat Brown to help him find a job. Terry needed income documentation from his former employer, which proved all but impossible to receive due to the nature in which employees were paid, via a debit card. A “standard pay stub” which was not available, nor any other “written proof of income” prohibited Terry from moving forward within the process to become a participant within the Experience Works program. At this point Terry contacted Lori Wells of the Traverse City Senior Center soliciting her help accessing his work history via computer, he was having difficulty communicating his needs to automated telephones and impersonal office personnel. He needed someone to be his advocate, to make the calls, to navigate through the system just to discern his eligibility for Experience Works job placement.

Lori Wells soon came to understand Terry’s frustration. Only an approved user of the automated system could gain access to Terry’s work history. After reviewing a list of approved users, Lori turned to the local Manpower office and Carol Ross, Branch Manager, for her assistance in getting Experience Works the income documentation needed to discern his eligibility for the program. “Lori and Kat went above and beyond… I know they didn’t have to put as much into helping me as they did… but now I have hope!”

“Without Lori’s assistance and the concerted effort of all of these agencies and businesses working collectively, I don’t think Terry would be happily training at his Host Agency, the Salvation Army Thrift Store as a Custodian through the Experience Works program in hopes of getting another job in the near future”, says Lynne Ruden, Employment Training Coordinator for 13 counties in northern Michigan for Experience Works. “Thank you all!”