ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — “I'm really depending on this building right here.”
For Elizabeth City resident Henry King, his Social Security check is a necessity.
“I'm retired and everything, and that's all I really get is my Social Security check," said King.
Without it, he doesn’t know what he would do.
“If my check ended up being blocked, I'd probably end up losing my apartment and everything because I had nowhere to go," said King.
Watch previous coverage: Residents worry about future of Social Security services in Elizabeth City
King is one of many people who have been worried about the future of the Social Security Administration Building in Elizabeth City. It was included on a list of potential buildings that wouldn’t have its lease renewed by the General Services Administration.
“This is the first place I really rush to when I can't get any answers on the phone from the Social Security place," said King.
We spoke with Dean Bray with Wise Developments LLC, the leaseholder of the building. Bray said he did receive a termination of lease letter from GSA weeks ago. But just last week, he was told that it was no longer happening and the termination of lease was canceled.
Bray said they have leased with GSA on the building since 2010 and that in the contract, the lease can be terminated at any time for any reason.
A GSA spokesperson provided WTKR News 3 with this statement when asked about the Elizabeth City Social Security Administration building's termination of lease being canceled:
"GSA is reviewing all options to optimize the federal footprint and building utilization. We are actively managing lease contracts by leveraging existing contract cancellation rights. As leases enter their soft term, we are sending letters of intent to customer agencies to inform them GSA is considering lease termination (thereby exercising GSA’s contractual rights as agreed upon with our lessors). Actively managing leases gives GSA the opportunity to work closely with our partner agencies on their evolving and longer term needs and will often allow us to enhance space utilization and secure better terms for the government – including better pricing. In instances where the current space remains the most suitable option—whether temporarily or longer term—we are adjusting our approach. For these agencies, we are either rescinding termination notices or, in some cases, not issuing them at all. These contractual cancellation rights are in accordance with regular and well-accepted private industry contracting processes. GSA’s letters of intent to terminate have no immediate effect and do not mean the lease has been terminated."
King says he’s relieved to hear that at least for now, the building is safe.
“If we lose this office, then I'm wondering, where am I going to go far as needing answers, if I need to go somewhere to try to talk to somebody? I'm really depending on this building right here because a lot of times when I need answers, this is the first place I really rush to when I can't get any answers on the phone from the Social Security place," said King.
