Elderly mother needs assisted living but out of money and just above the Medicaid cutoff. Any suggestions?

Great suggestions have already been given.

Best wishes in finding a new facility for your mom to live.

If your mom can qualify medically for nursing home care, then that is where she can go, covered by LTC Medicaid. LTC Medicaid is different than community Medicaid and I think you are conflating the two here. The key though, is she needs to medically qualify for a SNF level of care, and many in assisted living do not. You need to consult with a social worker. Seek out your local Agency on Aging to see what options they would recommend. Is your mom able to live alone? Are you able to take her in your home if she is unable to live alone? If the answer to both of those is a firm "No", then she is going to need to be placed in a NH covered by LTC Medicaid. To help with that process you can either see a good elder attorney or an elder care social worker from the state. The attorney costs money, and if mom is almost out of money, I wouldn't recommend that route. (Don't pay out of your own pocket). So that leaves contacting a state social worker or the ombudsman at the facility and letting them know your mom is going to be a vulnerable elderly adult because you are unable to care for her and she is going to need supervised care.

You need to engage with an eldercare attorney in her state who can show you how she can qualify for Medicaid, usually through a Miller Trust or via spend down.