Hurricane Beryl Assistance

Ms. Ida doesn’t want to start a movement, but she will if she has to.  Ms. Ida suffered property damages due to Hurricane Harvey, and she is still fighting to recover.  The 75-year old Houstonian had home-owners insurance at the time of the storm, along with policies for several contingencies… including typhoons!  However, her insurance company has continued to deny her claim.  Ms. Ida has filed a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance and has sought mediation.  She has been informed that her insurance company cannot be compelled to attend mediation and her only recourse is to take legal action.

Although Ms. Ida received a small amount of financial assistance from SHAPE and other avenues, it has not been close to what she needs to repair her home.  She explained to us that she does not want money from taxpayers or from organizations where she may be taking assistance from others who were not insured.  She feels that because of her age, her insurance company is defrauding her of money that she should be paid for a legitimate claim.  Ms. Ida also believes that she is not the only elder who is suffering in this way. 

As a retiree, Ms. Ida has been looking forward to starting her own non-profit organization focusing on early education, but she believes she will be forced to take a new path.  This month, she will be meeting with SHAPE’s Elder Institute of Wisdom as well as other advocates for elders.  It is our hope that through community support, Ms. Ida’s home will soon be restored and she can focus her retirement on helping children, just as she had planned before the storm.