Beneficiary Program
St. George's Society of New York's Beneficiary Program provides vital financial and quality-of-life support to vulnerable seniors, protecting them from homelessness, poverty, isolation and neglect.
The Beneficiary Program is our largest and longest running service giving hope and security to seniors of British or Commonwealth heritage—54 nations—in the Greater New York area.
Immigrant seniors are 1.5 times more likely to be poor and less likely to receive critical social services than their native-born counterparts. With the exponential growth of the nation’s senior population rapidly outpacing the resources available to them, our work ensures that vulnerable older adults are afforded the safety and dignity to live out their lives in their homes.
We provide vital assistance through three core areas:
FINANCIAL
Monthly stipends for basic necessities such as rent, home care expenses, utility payments and medication.
SOCIAL
Engagement activities such as our annual Beneficiary Tea Party and our Phone Pals initiative to encourage social interaction.
EMOTIONAL
Guidance and emotional support from our team of social workers.
We also respond to appeals for short-term emergency assistance from our seniors facing unforeseen crises. From air conditioning units during a heat wave to help with expenses related to vital medical procedures, our support is tailored to the unique needs of the individuals in crisis.
All beneficiaries must be referred to St. George’s Society of New York by a social worker or social services agency and connected to one of 54 Commonwealth countries. We do not accept direct appeals for assistance. For further information or inquiries, please contact Julie Rosenberg LMSW at julie@stgeorgessociety.org.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
With a donation of any amount, you can guarantee that a senior remains not only safe in their home, but also with the comfort in knowing that someone cares for them.
Our Seniors
Learn more about two of the beneficiaries that SGSNY supports.
The Latest
St. George’s Society of New York recently hosted a heartwarming afternoon social event for our Brooklyn-based senior beneficiaries.
Elroy, a Jamaican senior citizen, who was disabled in an accident while he was driving a taxi in NYC, came to St. George’s when he could no longer afford his rent.
It was a cold December day, when St George’s Society held their annual Beneficiary Christmas Tea. The SGSNY team, along with approximately twenty of its Beneficiaries met at St Thomas Church to enjoy each other's company, share gifts and celebrate the festivities with carols and poems.
This holiday season, SGSNY hosted its annual Beneficiary Afternoon Tea at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, which brings together seniors from the program and our volunteers.
On a recent visit to Ms. Priya, one our senior beneficiaries, Manton Social Worker Julie Rosenberg was shocked to discover that this 71-year-old woman had been sleeping on a sagging cot every night. Julie shares how SGSNY helped Ms. Priya make her home a safer and more comfortable space.
After more than a year apart, we were delighted to host afternoon teas for our Manahattan and Brooklyn-based beneficiaries in September.
To help ease the lingering isolation of the pandemic, St. George's Society launched the Phone Pal initiative, pairing volunteer callers with our senior beneficiaries. Volunteer, Yvonne shares her experience and how a baking snafu turned into an unexpected friendship.
St. George's Society of New York pays tribute to 250-year legacy serving New Yorkers in need by delivering care packages and rent subsidies to most vulnerable.
St. George’s Society continues to do all we can to adjust to the ever-changing news regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Last month, we held our annual Wendy Shadwell Tea welcoming over 40 of the Society's elderly beneficiaries for an afternoon of tea, talk, live music and dancing.
The Society’s Beneficiary Program collaborates with local social service agencies as well as partner charities to ensure that our seniors can remain in their homes and age with dignity. When Marjorie was referred to us by our friends at the Legal Aid Society, she was facing eviction from her home of nearly 30 years.
In a continued effort to enhance the quality of life for our senior beneficiaries, St. George’s Society introduced a new initiative earlier this year: Silver Buddies, a pen pal program with students at the British International School of New York.
Julie Rosenberg has been a social worker for St. George’s Society since 2012. Here, she shares how she first learned about the Society’s work and the impact it had on one of her cases.
As part of St. George’s Society’s commitment to enhancing quality of life for our beneficiaries, we were pleased to host the annual Wendy Shadwell Tea at Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue last month.
On 23rd May, we hosted our third annual Spring Tea and Talk for a group of our elderly beneficiaries at Nord Anglia International School.
With his advancing age, our beneficary John became unable to manage the stairs of his 5th-floor apartment. With St. George's Society's help, John now has a new apartment and a new lease on life.
When a person is need, St. George's Society takes action. Learn how we assisted one of our beneficiaries when she was faced with an unexpected crisis.
69-year-old Roger found himself in a desperate situation when he was forced out of his home following a fire in his building. Rachael Jones spoke to him about this experience and the help he has received thanks to the support of our generous donors.