(Cindy Horswell & Renèe C. Lee, Houston Chronicle)
At age 64, Paulette Lanius is a “Golden Boomer” – one of the 76 million American babies born after World War II, a legacy of the legions of men and women described as the Greatest Generation.
But the future for this Houston woman and thousands of other seniors appears to be far from great.
The fastest-growing group of Texans receiving food stamps (Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP) is the 60-64 age bracket. In the past six years, those residents receiving food assistance – now issued in the form of a benefit debit card – has jumped by 106 percent to 85,000 as of this month, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The total number of recipients from all age groups has increased 58 percent.
Authorities say seniors now applying for food stamps often complain of losing their retirement nest eggs in the economic downturn and finding their age to be a distinct disadvantage in finding work. Increasing food prices are also a factor.
Lanius, who once earned a comfortable $65,000 a year as an office manager for a small oil company, was used to donating items to charitable organizations like Second Blessing in west Houston.
But now for the first time in her life, she has not only become a beneficiary of others’ generosity at Second Blessing but was also enrolled in the food stamp program there. “It’s a very humbling experience,” she said. “I never dreamed I’d be doing this.”
After working nearly 18 years for the same company, she was laid off about two years ago when her employer went into receivership after a storm destroyed two oil platforms. She has not been able to land a steady job since then, forcing her to file early for Social Security and spend through her savings.
(Read more of this story at the Houston Chronicle)
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