The participants of Vida Senior Centers are mostly first-generation Hispanics, who throughout their lives accumulated little pension and few social benefits, either because they were late to the United States or because their salaries were always low In any case, the majority of VIDA participants are below the poverty line. And being a poor older adult in Washington DC is a huge challenge, largely because of the price of rentals in the city. In addition, Hispanic older adults never knew about the social benefits offered by the federal or city government, and even when they know there is some benefit, it is difficult for them to apply for the benefit because they cannot read the documents that They explain the benefits, cannot fill out the forms, or do not know how to follow those procedures. To face this tangle of procedures, Vida has a Social Services Counselor. All participants of Vida Senior Centers receive help from our counselors to apply for affordable housing, transportation and social benefits for programs that benefit older adults. With regard to immigration procedures, VIDA not only helps participants to start and follow-up on their migration processes, but also offers a weekly “Citizenship Class” in which participants are prepared to take the Citizenship exam. We also connect them with the agencies that help them file their taxes and file legal procedures, if necessary. Likewise, VIDA is an official distributor of boxes of the Food Bank, and with this it helps to identify older adults at greater risk. So, in summary, when it comes to social services:

• Home Application Procedures
• Migratory processes
• Preparation for the Citizenship Exam
• Application for transportation benefits
• Legal and employment services
• Procedures for cell phone subsidy
• Tax return
• Contact them with adult service agencies