Indiana Family Finds Landlord With a Heart

Kim and Jim Abbott have their work cut out. But thanks to an offer from a Huntington Beach landlord, the family of six from Indiana is no longer homeless.

Today, the Abbotts, who have lived in the Orange Coast Interfaith Shelter in Costa Mesa since January, will move into a small, three-bedroom house in the old section of Huntington Beach.

The white stucco house is badly in need of cleanup and repair. But in exchange for Jim Abbott’s work on the house, the family will receive a reduction in rent.

‘A Long Way to Go’

“We’ve got a long way to go to get this place ready,” said Kim Abbott, 25, unloading a box of cleaning supplies from her station wagon Friday morning.

Her son, Jeremiah, 6, had other things on his mind.

“There was a cat in there, but I don’t know where he went,” the boy said excitedly while lugging a sack up the front walk. His sister, April Lynn, 5, followed, toting a portable radio.

Boris Landau, the Abbotts’ new landlord, contacted the family after reading about their homeless odyssey in The Times on Wednesday.

The Abbotts, who left Indiana shortly after Christmas to start a new life in Orange County, lost their car and travel trailer in an accident in the Mojave Desert in early January. They had planned to live in the trailer while Jim, 30, looked for work.

Both Found Jobs

During their stay at the shelter, Jim Abbott found a $278-a-week building maintenance job, and on Monday Kim landed a $210-a-week temporary job packing medical supplies for a surgical supply company. With money from part-time jobs and Aid to Families with Dependent Children that they had received earlier, the couple saved nearly $3,000 and put a small down payment on a used car.

But while they were prepared to leave the shelter four weeks ago, the Abbots couldn’t find a landlord willing to rent them a three-bedroom house or apartment. Because of the family’s low income, shelter background and size, they contend, landlords discriminated against them.

The Abbott’s string of bad luck changed on Wednesday.

Landau was one of about a dozen people who called the shelter with offers of rental housing, donations of money and offers to co-sign for the Abbotts. Children’s Home Society also called to make an appointment with Kim Abbott to help her get low-cost day care for their children.

“We’re really happy that the community has come forth and shown they’re concerned about these people,” said shelter director Peg Schmitz.

Schmitz said many of the callers agreed to let her keep their names on file. “We have a number of families (at the shelter) who are in the same situation where now they are going to be needing places,” she said.

Landau said Friday that he and his partner, Leo Goldberg of Irvine, were touched by the Abbotts’ story. Landau’s family moved to the United States from Romania a decade ago, he said. “As much as possible, we’re trying to help others like we were helped.”

But what motivated him most, Landau said, were the four children: April Lynn, Jeremiah, Jami, 8, and Beverly, 7.

“Four kids are four kids, and you’ve got to give anything you can to help them,” he said.

Landau said he hadn’t established the rent for the house, which had been $900 a month. But Kim Abbott said Friday that because her husband would work on the house, the rent would be “a lot cheaper than we ever thought we’d have to pay to get into a place.”

Jim Abbott was working Friday morning while Kim was cleaning house, but Thursday night he said he “didn’t expect” the offers that poured into the shelter.

Now, he said, “At least we can get out (of the shelter) and get in a place. It takes one more pressure off us.”

Kim Abbott, who praised the support they received from the shelter, said the house has everything they hoped for: three bedrooms, a large, fenced-in yard for the children and a good location, a 10-minute walk from the beach.

‘Place Is a Disaster’

There’s no question it needs work, though.

“I’ll tell you right now, the place is a disaster,” she said, setting her box of cleaning supplies down on the stained brown living room carpet and quickly going to work cleaning the dirty windows.

“By the time I get done today, there is going to be a big difference in this place,” she vowed.

Abbott said her husband will repair the house room by room, beginning with remodeling the bathroom. She said new kitchen floor tile will be put down and the refrigerator, stove and back door replaced. All the rooms will be painted, she said.

“It’s amazing what a little paint can do to a place,” she said, adding: “I’m going to measure for curtains.”

The Abbotts also plan to work on the front yard, which is overgrown with weeds. She said they want to buy a swing set and sandbox for the kids, and, in a patch of dirt near the front door, she wants to plant a flower bed.

“Get out of the dirt, look at you!” she yelled at her children playing in the future flower bed.

“I ain’t dirty,” protested Jeremiah, as his mother renewed her attack on the grimy windows.

“We really like the house,” she said. “I look past the dirt and see what is going to be.”