Postscript: Hopes for the Future Cheer Pair Evicted in Crackdown
For more than 16 years--ever since they came to the United States--Francisco and Gregoria Herrera lived in a house on the corner of 6th and Mortimer streets in Santa Ana. But three months ago they were ordered out, victims of the city’s crackdown on substandard housing.
Housing inspectors visiting the property in early September discovered inadequate and dangerous electrical and plumbing systems. They also found that the single-family house had been illegally divided into four apartments. An order to vacate the property was posted on the front door.
Originally From Mexico
The Herreras, an elderly, frail couple originally from Mexico--he is 82, she 77--said then they didn’t know what to do or where to go. They faced their impending move with dread and desperation.
Their landlord said the Herreras had sectioned off the house and therefore were largely responsible for their problems. City officials didn’t seem to care who was responsible, saying only that the tenants had to go.
Despite their problems, the Herreras said they were lucky, since they were able to move into a one-room studio behind their daughter and son-in-law’s Santa Ana home.
Son-in-law Boone Harper had used the tiny apartment as a den, but he and his wife, Ramona, gladly gave up the extra space to make room for her parents.
Today the Herreras say they are grateful for the apartment --Gregoria Herrera, speaking in Spanish, calls it a “lovely, lovely little place”--but they miss the four rooms they had in the house.
They also miss having their furniture and belongings--all of which is stored in the Harpers’ garage--and being able to invite grandchildren over for holidays.
Should they find a new house, however, they would get a big boost from a group called Concerned Citizens for Displaced Tenants. After a successful fund-raising dance in September, the group put aside $1,000 to help the Herreras move.
“But right now they’re still living on dreams” of the past and of having their own place again, said Margie Denbeck, a leader of the citizens’ group.
Denbeck, a receptionist for the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, says the society is considering filing a suit against the city for the troubles caused the Herreras. For a time, she said, Gregoria Herrera lost her will to live. The elderly woman has been hospitalized three times since being forced to move, and Francisco Herrera came down with bronchitis shortly after the move, Denbeck said.
“These poor people have suffered so much, yet they are the first to admit that they are the lucky ones,” she said.
“Where could we find a house to rent? With what would we pay?” asked Francisco Herrera.
“It costs $600 to $700 a month to rent a place,” his wife added, “plus the extra money you need to move in.”
The couple gets by on $560 in monthly Social Security payments, much of which goes for food and medical bills. With whatever is left, they try to pay the Harpers something in rent. But that isn’t much --”almost nothing,” Gregoria Herrera said.
