Section 8 senior housing roof leak goes unfixed, caregiver & residents seek help
A caregiver for seniors in Section 8 housing in Palm Springs says several of his residents’ roofs have leaked for quite some time, and his attempts to get it fixed have not been successful.
With rain in the valley Wednesday and Thursday, the problem has become exasperated as water continues to pour into those seniors’ homes. Not sure where else to turn, Nicola Somma came to KESQ News Channel 3, hoping to get something done for his resident, Melinda Rozes.
“It’s just not a way to live it person anybody especially a disabled senior,” Rozes said. “Every time it rains, and I know it doesn’t rain a lot, but every time it rains, the ceiling leaks.”
They say it’s a problem across the building.
“I’ve heard other residents, quite a few residents, have leaks then they get them fixed… And other residents start having leaks or they might start to leak again,” Somma said.
For them, they say, it’s a major inconvenience.
“I have to put my buckets, my trash cans up there, get up in the middle of the night and change them out because they get full,” Rozes said. “It’s difficult when you’re 70 years old and you’re disabled. It’s really difficult and it is very frustrating.”
They are worried it could even be a safety concern.
“If it’s cold and damp in my bedroom, I’ll get sick and then maybe end up with pneumonia.” Rozes said.
“The immune system on a senior isn’t as good as someone younger to be able to deal with it, but regardless at all there should be no leak moisture or any water coming down from that ceiling,” Somma said.
They say management is not to blame: the managers send maintenance crews to try to fix the leaky roof, but it isn’t enough to patch the wear and tear on what residents say is a very old building.
“Either we’re not a priority because we’re old people and disabled so we don’t need any attention, or they’re too busy to pay attention to these issues,” Rozes said.
They say the fix needs to come from the corporate level. Reporter Jake Ingrassia reached out to the Jon Stewart Company, which owns the building, but we haven’t heard back.
“I think it might be time to look into giving a brand new roof to the senior so they don’t have to worry about it again,” Somma said.
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