Hello,

I am in a nightmare situation right now. I apologize for imposing, but I need help.

I have always had a job and I’ve always been able to pay my bills.

I worked as a waiter in the same restaurant for 26 years. It was a great job, and it was my home. The only reason I no longer work there is we went out of business.

I was very happy in that place. It was a world unto itself. I had an incredible work family, great regular customers that became friends, and I met people from all over the world. The interaction with customers was very warm and personal, with a lot of laughs, fun, and wild conversations about everything under the sun. The quintessential Manhattan cocktail party at a hundred miles an hour in twenty languages. A very lively place. I was very lucky to work there… unfortunately, all good things come to an end.

I started looking for another job before the restaurant closed, and I have been aggressively looking for work ever since.

I have applied for hundreds of jobs, and I am not being hired.

I have been interviewed and called in for second interviews, only to not be hired.

I will be 67 years old in January, and I’m pretty sure my age has a lot to do with my inability to get a job.

At first, I was looking for only waiter jobs, but after not being hired a number of times, I started applying for jobs outside of the restaurant business - hotels, grocery stores, liquor stores, hospitals, Avis car rental, along with assorted customer service jobs that involve using a computer and a telephone (skills I actually have).

I went to an interview for a customer service job. It went very well… then the man told me they were interviewing 12 people for one job… that is a job I did not get.

I am using Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and a few other online employment agencies to submit my resume, in addition to walking the streets and going to places in person. A lot of the places I’ve gone to are simply not hiring, but they’ll take my resume. I have gotten a lot of emails from potential employers informing me that I was not selected.

There was a point where I was sure I would get a job any day, and then I was shocked when it didn’t happen.

Not being hired on such a regular basis is very hard to deal with. It’s frightening and super stressful.

My unemployment ran out at the end of November 2025.

My resources have been exhausted by nearly 6 years of financial setbacks that began with the COVID shutdown.

During this time period, my Mom and Dad started having serious health problems.

I spent a lot of time and money going to Florida to be with them. This was at a time when I should not have been spending any money at all, but to me, that was the only thing to do.

I lost my Mom in November of 2022. I was blessed to be able to see her a number of times in the last 6 months of her life. Her funeral was in January of 2023. Then, my Dad was diagnosed with cancer in March of 2023.

I was already in a bad situation financially at that point. I had to raise money in order to take care of my Dad.

My Dad survived cancer but struggles with a number of health and old age issues.

I considered moving to Florida, but I had a lot of timing issues, along with making a huge move and getting a new job in Florida issues.

I needed to hold onto my long-term job in New York until at least full retirement age in regards to Social Security.

My Dad was in a very precarious situation without my being there full-time.

Ultimately, his home was sold to put him in an assisted living facility, so at least he’s safe now. That being said, that was our family home with a million memories in it, and I wish I was living there with him now, but that is gone now. That happened before my Restaurant closed.

I miss my Father more than words can say, and it's very painful to not be with him. I saw my Dad only once in 2025.

Even with all of the setbacks, I had four more years to go before I could retire at 70 and live off of Social Security.

I would have been okay. Then I lost my job. I took Social Security sooner than I wanted to, just to survive.

I’m totally isolated right now. I went from having a very active life with a lot of companionship and friends, to being alone most of the time.

All of this stress has taken a toll on me.

I need to see a doctor, I have Medicare, but, I don’t have the money for co-payments, so I have avoided going to the doctor.

I know I will eventually find a job, but right now, I cannot pay my bills in January.

I waited until the last minute to ask for help. I was thinking I would get a job by now.

I don’t know how long this will go on. It’s depressing, I need time to put things together. I may need to find a new way of making a living.

I have always worked and I’ve always been self-reliant. I’ve been very fortunate in a lot of ways.

I have overcome a lot of problems in my life, but I have to say, I have never been more challenged.

I’m in a really scary place right now.

Please help me if you can - Thank you

Sincerely,

Richard Albershardt