KINGSTON – Some 200 people turned out for a Senior Resource Fair sponsored by Congressman Patrick Ryan Wednesday at the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County.
Case workers were on hand to help people deal with federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration.
The fair had more than 30 organizations, such as AARP, the Castle Point Veterans Administration, the Ulster County Office for the Aging and Legal Services of Hudson Valley,
Ryan said he was proud that the fair was delivering direct assistance – “no waiting on hold, no playing phone tag, no getting the runaround.”
Angelina Martinez, a peer specialist at Independent Living based in Newburgh, talked with Harriet Yaun of Woodstock. She said Independent Living helps people apply for Medicaid among its many services.
Helen Feddema from Kerhonkson chatted with Ryan and thanked him for getting a solar credit from Central Hudson. Feddema said that the utility, which had withheld the credit for about a year, sent it soon after Ryan’s office got involved.
Maria Ingrassia, Ryan’s director of constituent services, said that a steady flow of people entered the gymnasium at the YMCA throughout the three-hour fair, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
