Home-Repair Program Saved at the Brink

Not long ago, it looked like the Santa Clarita Valley would lose a federally funded program that since 1978 has helped repair the homes of low-income residents.

But, even when a Los Angeles-based firm announced plans to drop the program, Greg Garrett continued patching roofs, installing hot water heaters, fixing leaky faucets and doing other odd jobs for the people the program serves, most of them senior citizens. He even scheduled work to be done after July 1, the date the program was to be discontinued.

All the while, Garrett, the project director, looked for a new organization to sponsor Handyman Project. He finally found one--a rather unexpected sponsor, it turned out, considering that the social service program has little to do with business interests.

The Canyon Country Chamber of Commerce agreed just before the deadline to rescue the program by taking over its administration.

“It was in danger of being dropped,” chamber Executive Director Bonnie Bernard said, “and we feel it’s needed in the community.”

‘Dear to Our Hearts’

“It’s not often that a chamber of commerce will take on a project like this,” said Larry Margolis, director of the Los Angeles County community services center in the Santa Clarita Valley. Margolis, who helped Garrett persuade the chamber to take over supervision of the program, was instrumental in launching the project in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“The program is something that’s dear to our hearts,” Margolis said.

The people served, Margolis said, are “our neighbors” who can no longer do their own home repairs because of financial or physical limitations. The chamber’s sponsorship will ensure local control of the $100,000 a year program, he said.

“The office in control of me was 22 miles away,” Garrett said. “Now, my boss is right here.”

Previously, the nonprofit United Community & Housing Development Corp. of Los Angeles administered the project from its North Hollywood branch office. The distance involved was a factor in the decision to drop the project, Garrett said.

Under the program, Garrett and his assistant, Al Santos, perform free services--electrical work, plumbing, weatherproofing and carpentry--for those who qualify. They also install smoke detectors, locks, wheelchair ramps and handrails and guardrails for people who need them. On occasion, the program will supply items such as hot water heaters for needy families.

The program is funded with federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grants distributed by the county.

“We had this one woman who had had no hot water for four months,” Garrett said. “She was a single lady and couldn’t afford to buy one. After we installed a new hot water heater for her, we found that her kids had been sleeping on the floor. We were able to get beds for them through the community service center.”

Carlos Morales, who is in charge of Handyman Project funding for Los Angeles County, said about $600,000 was distributed to community-based organizations for the 1986-87 fiscal year. Other recipients include the Boys Club of San Gabriel Valley, Maravilla Foundation in East Los Angeles, Watts Labor Community Action Committee in South Central Los Angeles and Veterans in Community Service Inc. in Santa Fe Springs.

Distribution of Funds

Los Angeles and other larger cities in the county distribute their own shares of the HUD funds. In Los Angeles, K. C. Rao, administrator, said the $3.6 million allocated to the city for the next fiscal year is given to five nonprofit agencies, including United Community and Housing Development, which supervises the Handyman program in the San Fernando Valley.

In the Santa Clarita Valley, Garrett said, he receives an average of four to five calls a day from people requesting help. Those who qualify wait about two months for the work to be done.

To qualify for Handyman Project, residents must own and live in their own home and earn no more than $16,900 a year for a one-person household or $24,150 for a family of four.

Last year, Garrett said, repairs were done at about 50 homes, mainly in Val Verde, Newhall, Castaic, Saugus and Canyon Country.

“We have a lot of senior citizens living in trailer parks,” he said. “So a lot of our work is done on mobile homes.”

People learn of the program in a variety of ways, Garrett said, including through distribution of flyers.

“We’ve actually had to convince a lot of senior citizens that we’re on the level,” he said. Many, he said, “see something free and they don’t believe it’s for real.”