The local Social Security office in Clinton is in danger of shutting its doors by the end of September to save costs and consolidate operations.
"It would be a great inconvenience for me, I'd be devastated," Shelley Douglas says.
Douglas is from Goose Lake, Iowa, and she already drives about a half hour each way twice a month to get help at her social security office. With the office in danger of closing and the nearest one left in Davenport, many are worried about what this means for them.
"I would have to travel 90 miles to get to Davenport and back," Douglas says.
"I can't drive to Davenport, it's too far to go," Bernice Blount says, "There's a lot of senior citizens there's no way they can drive that far; with the price of gas and the economy the way it is, there's no way people can get around."
In a letter to the mayor, the Social Security Administration says with their phone lines and website, the office is no longer needed and closing it will save over $622,000 over five years in rent and salary costs for the security guard.
"It would be a devastating blow to Clinton because of the elderly population that utilize the services, to drive all the way to Davenport is not practical," Mayor Mark Vulich says.
"How many senior citizens got computers and can go online? I don't have a computer, I wouldn't know how to use one," Blount says.
The office was in danger of closing back in 2008, but kept its doors open after those who depend on it brought it to the attention of their local representatives. City officials are hoping that works again.
"It's up to our senators and congressmen to put some heat on in Washington and make some change," Mayor Vulich says.
It's unclear how many will be affected, but at last estimate, the office served about 11,000 people in Clinton and its surrounding areas.
"There's a lot of elderly disabled people in Clinton that need this office," Douglas says.
