Homeless 97-Year-Old Woman Sleeps In A Suburban

Bessie Mae Berger is 97 years old and homeless. Her two sons, Larry and Charlie, are ages 60 and 62, respectively. Together, the three of them live in a rusty 1973 Chevrolet Suburban that they shuttle around Venice, California and Los Angeles.

Bessie occupies the front seat of the Suburban, and occasionally panhandles on the street for cash handouts with a cardboard sign. The three must constantly move the car, parking for free in lots with a disabled parking tag, washing up in public restrooms and occasionally enjoying a free hot meal from a food truck.

Charlie used to work in construction and as a painter before degenerative arthritis disabled him. Larry's cooking career was ended by compressed discs in his back and a damaged neck nerve. Struggling with both homelessness and poverty, the family is able to scrape by with the aid of state and federal programs:

They live mostly on Bessie's $375 monthly Social Security check, Charlie's $637 disability payments, Larry's $300 food stamp allocation and cash from bottles and cans they collect and recycle.

The family's homelessness was brought on by a mixture of personal circumstances and government policy. The Los Angeles Times article brings up new issues with state support and how it's applied, such as the issue of how Section 8 housing is allocated:

They thought Bessie had finally qualified for federal Section 8 housing -- she had been promised a rental voucher, they say. But then she needed surgery to replace a pacemaker and spent three months in a recovery center. Housing authorities in Northern California awarded the voucher to someone else during her absence, according to her sons.

Though Bessie qualifies for government-paid senior citizen assistance, her sons are too young. They want to find a housing arrangement that will keep them together, but that has proved difficult. The Bergers may be entitled to more benefits than they are currently receiving, and it was the end of a state In-Home Supportive Services program several years ago that pushed them into homelessness.

This is just one of many heartbreaking stories of homelessness and poverty that have surfaced recently. But you can get involved by learning more about the issues and the organizations that are working to combat homelessness.

Learn how to advocate for the homeless.

Support these organizations:

National Coalition For The Homeless

Fannie Mae's Help The Homeless Program

National Alliance to End Homelessness

National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness

National Fair Housing Alliance

So Others Might Eat

Comments

[demimckingwoodtx]

03:46 PM on 10/27/2009

This story has upset me so.

[foxfury]

03:19 PM on 10/27/2009

97 years old and living in a suburban, while wall street execs make millions in undeserved bonuses ::sigh::

[Trueheart]

12:41 AM on 10/24/2009

I don't know if I want to think about the family dynamics of two sons in their 60's living out of a car with their 97 year old mother. But they have remained loyal to one another and stayed together as a family unit, and there's something admirable about that.

Boy this story goes right to heart, but it also triggers a whole train of thought and questions.
Three adults have about $1300/month to live on. Wonder how much goes for gasoline? Cigarettes? Booze? (I know I'd be smoking and drinking like a fiend in their circumstances.)
Do they register and insure their car? Do they ever get the car serviced and repaired? How do they stay warm? Is there anything pleasurable in their lives--like music? When was the last time they experienced a comfortable bed with clean sheets and a nice thick blanket?

[tucsoncindy]

10:15 PM on 10/22/2009

This is incredibly sad and soooooooo disheartening to read. I can only think if some of us live long
enough this is where we will be, if something doesn't change in this country. With all the empty
housing and business flooding the market...how about housing the homeless in safe shelter.
The winter is predicted to be very cold. I don't care what dysfunctional party you stand for. Maybe
Senator Graysan could shame and humiliate our leaders to stand up for the people...this story
leaves me with a pit in my stomach.

[robbyJ]

01:10 PM on 10/21/2009

AIG got 170 billion dollars. The greed that is openly perpetrated in this country is disgusting.

[dnpvd51]

12:16 PM on 10/21/2009

So like how is the government throwing trillions of dollars at homeowners who paid too much for their house helping this woman?

It seems that many are think they are helping the homeless by throwing government money at homeowners.

[robbyJ]

01:11 PM on 10/21/2009

I agree, seems like we should help the people at the bottom first, they are the ones who are going to spend the money anyway.

[land2341]

10:46 AM on 10/21/2009

But if you ask a conservative they will simply tell you that these people all need to go get a job. They'll tell you they should face the consequences of their poor life choices.

They'll tell you that you will pay for them and it will bankrupt the country.

They lie.

This country is morally bankrupt and it is not because we have abortions or pornography - it is because we have sold away our compassion. We insist that we never once help some one who is not the "deserving poor" and then we set ridiculous standards for what makes some one deserving. I would rather be ripped off by a thousand welfare scammers than by one bankster who takes ten times more!

[rtb61]

09:49 AM on 10/21/2009

You people should be bloody ashamed of yourself. Australia's old age pension $671.90 per fortnight. US the richest country indeed, for some reason Australia can afford 4 times the pension rate(so does that mean four times the compassion and concern for ones fellow citizens). Sometimes I find it stunning how the worlds richest country can be so greedy. http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/payments/age_rates.htm

[janeycat]

03:19 AM on 10/21/2009

This is so wrong ... where are the social workers in LA and Venice ?? it's a f***ing 1973 Suburban for
Christ sake.The workers know about them,they have to ,their turning their back on them.
I'm sickened by this.i'm going to find a way to send this story to Arnold Swartz. .... i dont know if i will be
able to find out where to send it so everyone HELP ME send this to him...if he gets it more than once ...
well then good ,,he needs to get it about 100 times......
The weather is going to turn cold before we know it so now is the time for them to be able to have a roof over there heads..
I hurt so much for them...she needs and more than that she deserves a home.....so guys help me
flood Arnold and Maria with email demanding them to do something for Bessie Mae Berger...
I'm depending on all my HoPo readers to help with flooding Arnold.....
thanks guys

[lagumbo]

05:44 PM on 10/20/2009

This is not what they republicans want to hear. This 97 year old women, the republicans would like to see her dead, that why they are obstructioning ever thing in congress.

[Bien Koehler]

01:53 AM on 10/27/2009

I am a not a Republican but I am tired of hearing illiterate people condemn them for everything. People make mistakes but you cannot put the blame on a single unit. You cannot even spell and use words that don't exist so until you are better educated, keep your mouth shut.
This woman should be in a home or government program. Her sons should care more for her welfare and safety and fend for themselves. They can always visit her. It sounds like they are enjoying a free ride off her SS, which by the way, I don't understand how she receives a check without a valid address.

[bflaska]

03:34 PM on 10/20/2009

Clearly Bessie and her sons most need an advocate to help them wind through the heartless bureaucratic mazes. This story nearly broke my heart. And there but for fortune go you or I.

[Trueheart]

12:46 AM on 10/24/2009

Let's hope this story was brought to the attention of the Huffington Post by such an advocate.
There but for fortune.....indeed.

[TeeLolly]

03:20 PM on 10/20/2009

Besie's Social Security seems a bit low. Isn't she eligible for SSI (which pays over $600/month)? Or are they penalizing her because her son who receives disability lives with her in the vehicle? (If the latter, I would hope someone could challenge treating a vehicle as a "household.")

[insideoutgraphics]

08:53 AM on 10/20/2009

Multiply this story w/ how many others and as winter approaches, what will happen then? We live in a dual America. The Have's and the Have's Not. So much for the American Dream,because for many, it's become The American Scream . And no one seems to be listening. How can some continue to state, America is the most richest Country on earth. America has the best health care. America has etc etc etc ..... as they exclude so many from the equation to the point of being treated as though they are near socially dead. Ignoring those with car addresses as their residence, to highway under passes. America has the worst social policies as evidenced by ignoring the growing number of homeless in this Country. And as winter approaches, what will happen then? Local, State and Feds, ought to allow those in need , to be able to find shelter within the many vacant homes and bldgs across the country. America speaks of being humanitarian in it's thinking, well it ought to start becoming proactive to the needs of ALL its citizens. Not just the Have's.

[wietog]

07:41 PM on 10/19/2009

heartbreaking.

I guess some in our country succeed at the expense of people like this family. Great system!

I'm so tired of people vilifying socialism, etc. No system is pure - corruption is everywhere.

What's sick is how there's not enough millions or billions to satisfy some people. The Gates Foundation does something positive with Bill + Melinda Gates' wild fortunes, but others build compounds in the hills and golden toilets.

That's our country - The Gilded Toilet.

[Siebenstein]

06:24 AM on 10/20/2009

I think a major problem is that citizens are made believe that everything is left up to them, volunteer here, volunteer there, volunteer everywhere, and accomplish not much !
The country's States are having their own looneytunes going, each the way they like it, and the Federal Government likes it because they do not have to take responsibility. That responsibility is always, always left to Americans, citizens, ordinary people who pay taxes as much as people in Europe do, but other than Europeans, they get effin nothing for it; no healthcare, no quality education, etc.

People, you need to start taking all these cooks out. Demand paying taxes for results! That is volunteering with meaning and helping others at the same time.
Americans need to wake from their political and social apathy and start revolting !
This 97 year old granny could be YOU !

[wietog]

11:49 AM on 10/20/2009

Agreed.

[jleed]

07:16 PM on 10/19/2009

Hay,Rush and the boys say these people don't exist.