The Valley’s elderly can’t afford Social Security’s downsizing, community service director warns

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It’s the dead of night, and hope is dwindling.

The time is 3 a.m. and while some of Hidalgo County’s most vulnerable residents should be at home sleeping, this is the time people concerned with their lack of income, resources, and the future of their Social Security — a long-standing federal program ensuring government benefits for citizens who’ve paid into it — arrive to wait at the county’s Community Service Agency in Edinburg.

Desperate to make ends meet, they sometimes arrive this early to wait in line to see if the county can help them in any way. That’s what the CSA does, after all — enroll residents who qualify for assistance.

For Jaime Longoria, executive director of the Hidalgo County CSA, this illustrates the growing demand in need in the Rio Grande Valley.

“That’s not where you want your grandpa or grandma to be at 3 in the morning,” Longoria said with sadness in his voice.

With uncertainty permeating due to the Department of Government Efficiency making cuts to the Social Security Administration, as well as changes to how the agency communicates announcements and meets with the public, it suffices to say that stress is also rising among those who rely on those benefits to live.

Senate Democrats led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a letter to the SSA’s Office of Inspector General on Tuesday calling for a review of DOGE’s downsizing of Social Security, citing staff reduction from 57,000 to 50,000, mass layoffs of “non-mission critical” positions, and the elimination of more than half of the agency’s regional offices.

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Mark Kelly, Ron Wyden and Kirsten Gillibrand joined Schumer in penning their names to the letter.

Until that request for a review plays out, uncertainty remains. Locally, it’s become a source of stress and concern.

THE CAUSE OF CONCERN

Longoria explained that in recent years the agency has seen an increase in elderly residents who seek assistance.

In fact, he explained that in March 2024, 38.85% of people over the age of 60 were seeking help from the CSA.

By this March, the agency saw a 6% increase of clients of the same age range, now raising the percentage to 45.9%.

“They may already be accessing Social Security but they’re looking for something else to help them make ends meet,” Longoria said.

Thousands of households in the Valley could be significantly impacted by Social Security changes, he added.

“And that’s just the clients that we see,” Longoria said, emphasizing that need exists everywhere, and those who seek out the CSA’s services represent a portion of the Valley’s population.

He added that 150% of the families they served are below the federal poverty line which he explained is roughly about 100,000 families in Hidalgo County alone.

“That’s what causes me concern, is that any changes (to Social Security) have a profound effect on a large population of our families,” Longoria said.

He recalled speaking to a couple late last year who explained to him that he and his wife brought home $717 in Social Security benefits.

However, their rent was about $500 and his electricity bill at that time was about $300 and change. By the end of the month the only food they had were canned goods provided by the food bank.

They couldn’t help but express concerns about how they would continue to make ends meet should any cuts impact their Social Security.

Longoria said these are the stories often heard at the agency with many struggling to put food on the table or buy medications.

Some families won’t turn on their air condition during the summer, when temperatures daily sit above 100 degrees, in order to save money. Some also keep their heaters off during cold weather.

“Any changes to Social Security are going to have a huge impact on the life and death struggles of many of these families,” Longoria said.

‘DAUNTING’ EFFECTS

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, local residents walked up to the front entrance of the Social Security office on North McColl Road in McAllen. They seemed determined, ready with their personal documents in-hand, but then they came across something they didn’t expect.

Taped to the front door was a message informing that the office was no longer accepting walk-ins, and that visitation was now by appointment only.

Visibly discouraged and muttering complaints under their breath, about 10 residents — most of them elderly — walked away in confusion and frustration.

On Dec. 3, 2024, the SSA announced via social media that it was making this change. However, MyRGV.com could not find any other communication outside of the agency’s social media pages.

This, too, represents another policy change. In April, the SSA said it would no longer email announcements or press releases but would rely solely on social media to communicate with the public in the future.

MyRGV.com called the McAllen Social Security office April 9 to determine a morning wait-time before reaching a representative. It took 30 minutes until a Social Security employee connected with the caller.

After hearing and seeing the struggles of elderly residents who rely on Social Security, the thought of more changes to the program is “daunting,” according to Longoria.

As of now, for some families Social Security doesn’t provide enough to help sustain them.

“The concerns remain the same, even prior to any of the changes we’re seeing with Social Security, what we’re hearing from constituents is just the real struggle in trying to make the ends meet with the limited dollars that they’re able to bring in from Social Security.”

Recently, Longoria has heard people concerned about losing access to Social Security.

“Whether it’s the food bank, utility assistance, whether it’s Social Security, all of these kinds of programs work together to help the elderly afford the cost of living,” Longoria said. “If you withdraw any of those then basically you’re destabilizing our parents’ and grandparents’ households in their golden years.”

He added that regardless of blame, the bottom line is that more and more elderly people are accessing safety net programs because they are struggling to afford an-ever rising cost of living at a time when “Social Security is falling short.”

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