Right before the holiday season, more than 70 senior citizens are receiving the worst news imaginable; they have to move out of their assisted living home.
On Friday Joseph's Village Executive Director Joseph Brown broke the news to 72 people living in the development's assisted living facility apartments that the new owners of the building want to turn the apartments into independent housing.
Everyone has to be out by December 10th at 5 p.m.
"Where am I going to go? And am I going to live under the Singer Island bridge?" said Joyce Hamzy.
Joyce, like many of her neighbors, lives on a very limited outcome.
"There's no way I can get more money. I had to give up money to get Medicaid," said Joyce.
Brown said it was the hardest thing for him to do to issue the letters from corporate management. He moved in nearly all of the senior citizens in the last three years. He said he recently got the green light from the state to add 75 beds to the assisted living facility and now management is closing down the entire assisted living side of the development.
"This is difficult. This is very difficult. I have assisted living from various areas right now trying to work with them," said Brown.
Joyce said she's lost her holiday spirit this year and just hopes she can find another place to live as comfortable and enjoyable as her apartment.
"Thanksgiving, Christmas, makes it rough don’t even feel like celebrating," she said. "I need a miracle."
Brown said he plans to help residents with the relocating process and aims to stay in touch with them for the first 90 days after they move to make sure they are okay.
