She didn’t have a place to live, but she didn’t ask for money. People were asked to read a note she held up. Someone finally read it after 16 years, and everything changed. This is what the note said:
Wanda Ritter, who is 80 years old, wants to tell the world a great story with a happy finish.
Wana hasn’t slept in her own bed at home in 16 years. Someone told her over and over, “The government owes her $100,000.” Many people thought she was crazy. Every day, she said it again. There were papers and checks that she was carrying in her bag, but no one paid attention. People thought she was just another person who had mental health problems.
Wanda had four kids and used to work as a plumber. She kept telling people in Washington, D.C., that Social Security owed her a lot of money.
She said, “I thought about throwing away my papers.” “I told myself that people would think I was crazy if I did something stupid.”
Julie Turner, a social worker who is 56 years old, heard her story and became interested in her case. This made everything different. She could not believe it when she saw the papers.
Wanda needed help with money, not with her mental health. Turner said that she was due $100,000 by the government.
But how did Wanda figure out what was wrong?
Every month, Wanda started getting checks for $300 to $900. These checks were not cashed because she thought there was a problem with them. She instead gave them back. But Ritter called Social Security Services to find out what was going on.
“No one would have believed me if I cashed them and said there was a mistake.” Ritter told media in his area. She thinks she can solve the problem once she gets her case in order.
Ritter found a $500 apartment with the help of Julie Turner, a nice worker.
After the news spread for a week, Ritter got her first $1,644 check from Social Security.
