Community Seeks Help for Elderly Neighbor
MISSION – After 39 years, Eutiquio Montoya still calls his small house home.
“My sister used to live right next to us. My father and mother, they were old so they bought this place to be close to my sister,” said Montoya.
At 80-years-old, his home is in shambles.
“He could not stay here because the temperature inside the house was just unbearable,” said Rafael Mendoza, a concerned neighbor.
Mendoza has reached out to several of people, but said the process has been very slow.
“I don’t think that anybody, especially the elderly… he shouldn’t be able to live under those conditions. It was too hot,” added Mendoza.
At noon, temperatures outside stood at about 100 degrees.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS placed thermometers inside Montoya’s home to see just how hot it got inside.
Near the front door, which allowed a slight breeze, the temperatures were at 92 degrees and in the bedroom, 90 degrees.
The Mission Housing Authority said the need around the city does not stop.
“They can contact the Salvation Army, who sometimes we contact them for them. The Red Cross. Depending on their age, if they’re elderly, we contact the Silver Ribbon Program. We also contact the area agency on aging,” said Jaime Ayala, a 25 year veteran with the Mission Housing Authority.
The aid Montoya is getting now is limited and may expire soon.
Helpful Organizations
Texas Health and Human Services (Texas Adult Protective Services (APS))