BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Three months ago, Boynton Beach resident Sue Horoff thought she had finally found some stability.
'As of tomorrow, at this time, I need to gone from this,' Sue Horoff tells WPTV's Vannia Joseph
After being forced out of The Inn at Boynton — a property sold to the city's Community Redevelopment Agency — Horoff relocated to a small extended-stay hotel in Lake Worth Beach. It wasn't perfect, but it was a roof over her head and a place she believed she could manage on her fixed income.
On Wednesday, she was packing again.
"As of tomorrow, I need to be gone from this," said Horoff.
Walking us through the room she's been living in, Horoff said her time is up. She shows a letter requesting nearly $1,000 to stay, followed by another notice demanding she leave.
WATCH BELOW: 'The money I have doesn't meet the money they need,' Sue Horoff tells WPTV
For Horoff, it's a familiar crisis: Everything comes down to money.
Together, she and her partner bring in just under $2,000 a month from Social Security. She said that covers about three weeks at the extended stay — plus her cell phone bill. But the fourth week — the one she can't afford — is now costing her the room.
"So it got a little better," she said, "but then I was out of money."
Horoff's situation echoes what seniors across Palm Beach County are experiencing.
A recent America's Health Rankings Senior Report shows:
- 12% of seniors live below the poverty line
- 35% struggle with housing-related financial concerns
And with the expiration of emergency COVID-era rental and housing assistance, our reporting has found that local agencies have fewer resources to help people like Horoff.
She said she's made call after call trying to find aid.
"They said, 'Sorry, we're out of funds, but you can call this number,'" Horoff recalled.
But she has no car, making even temporary solutions difficult to reach.
Earlier this year, residents at The Inn at Boynton were told they needed to leave as the property's sale to the Boynton Beach CRA moved forward — part of a negotiation that had been underway since May.
Boynton Beach
'I have so little time': Resident fears homelessness as Inn prepares for sale
Horoff said she knew a sale was possible, but she didn't expect how little time she'd have to find new housing. She feared becoming homeless then and fears it again now.
At the time, the CRA said the sale was not final and that relocation assistance fell to the property owner, not the city.
Horoff believes the property should have been repurposed for seniors, veterans, or affordable housing — something she said the community desperately needs.
More than anything, Horoff said she feels stuck in a system that offers few options for people living on fixed incomes.
"Sometimes I feel angry," she said. "And I feel that when you reach out and say, 'I need help,' there's just so much red tape."
For now, she said she's simply asking for time — and a place she can afford.
"Just, find a different place at a reasonable amount of money," she said.
Horoff plans to keep calling agencies, hoping one will have the resources to help her before she's out on the street.
