For 16 years, Wanda Ritter lived without a home, but she never begged for money. Instead, she held a note, hoping someone would read it and understand her story. She believed that the government owed her $100,000, and while many people dismissed her as another homeless person with mental health issues, everything changed when someone finally took the time to listen.

Wanda’s story is not just about homelessness—it’s about perseverance and hope in the face of overwhelming odds. At 80 years old, she had been through more than most people could imagine. Yet, she held onto her belief that Social Security owed her a large sum of money. Though it seemed unbelievable to many, Wanda kept repeating her claim every day, even when no one paid attention.

Wanda’s Long Struggle

It had been 16 years since Wanda had last slept in her own bed. Many who saw her on the streets thought she was crazy, especially since she kept insisting that the government owed her a significant amount of money. Every day, she carried a suitcase filled with papers and unpaid checks, trying to prove her case. But people simply walked by, assuming she was delusional or mentally unstable.

Wanda wasn’t always homeless. She used to be a locksmith and was a mother to four children. However, life took a difficult turn, and she ended up living on the streets of Washington, D.C. Despite her circumstances, Wanda remained determined to prove that the Social Security System had made a mistake. She believed they owed her money and she wasn’t going to give up on getting what was rightfully hers.

“I thought about throwing away my documents,” Wanda recalled. “I told myself that if I did something rash, people would just think I was insane.” Still, she held onto her papers, hoping that someone would eventually help her. And after 16 years of waiting, someone finally did.

A Turning Point

Everything changed when a 56-year-old social worker named Julie Turner heard Wanda’s story. Unlike the many others who had dismissed her, Julie took an interest in Wanda’s case. She sat down with Wanda and went through her papers, carefully examining the documents that Wanda had been carrying around for years. What Julie found shocked her.

Wanda didn’t need mental health support—she needed financial help. Julie discovered that the government did, in fact, owe Wanda close to $100,000. Wanda had been right all along.

The Issue with the Checks

So, how did Wanda know that something was wrong? For years, she had been receiving checks from Social Security, ranging from $300 to $900 each month. However, Wanda believed there was a problem with these checks. Rather than cashing them, she returned them, convinced that accepting them would only complicate things further. She even contacted Social Security Services to investigate the issue, but no one had taken her seriously.

“If I had cashed the checks and then claimed there was a mistake, who would have believed me?” Wanda explained to local reporters. Her instincts told her that something wasn’t right, and she chose to fight for what she believed was the correct amount. Once her case was finally acknowledged, she was confident it could be resolved.

A New Beginning

Thanks to Julie Turner’s dedication, Wanda’s situation turned around. With Julie’s help, Wanda was able to find an apartment for $500 a month, giving her a place to live after more than a decade on the streets. Just a week after the media picked up her story, Wanda received her first check for $1,644 from Social Security—a small victory after years of hardship.

Wanda’s story is a powerful reminder of how easy it is for people to fall through the cracks of society. Despite years of struggling, she never gave up on her belief that she was owed something important. And it was only through the kindness of a social worker who took the time to listen that Wanda finally got the help she needed.

Her journey from homelessness to stability is a testament to resilience and the importance of never giving up, even when the odds seem stacked against you.