City, Donors Helping Bail Out Homeowners
With Failing Roofs
Shingle Solutions Offers Free Services,
Works on 20 Homes
By Laura Griffin
Staff Writer
of The Dallas Morning News
When it rained, it poured in Mae
Loggins' house.
The 78 year old East Dallas woman
had to place buckets throughout her
house to catch the rain that came
through her roof. When the
buckets filled with water, they were
too heavy for her to lift, so she
emptied them with a stew pot.
"Like bailing out a boat," she
said. "I've been trying
to get my roof fixed for six years,
but it's really expensive."
The problem cleared up Wednesday. Mrs.
Loggin's roof was one of the 20 replaced
through a new city program called
Shingle Solutions.
The city of Dallas, with help from
the Center for Housing Resources
and a $25,000grant from Guaranty
Federal Bank, is working with 19
roofing companies this week to fix
roofs of low-income elderly and disabled
homeowners.
"A new roof can actually save
the home for many of these people
and keep them from having to move
out," said Audrey Weir of the
non-profit Center for Housing Resources,
which recruited the roofing companies.
Mrs. Loggins has lived alone on
Junius Street just south of the Lakewood
district since her husband, Jack,
died in 1990. She is diabetic
and has survived three bouts with
cancer.
She worked for 35 years in movie
theaters around Dallas, including
the Lakewood and Majestic. Doctors
made her retire four years ago, she
said.
Through the years, she has collected
lots of movie memorabilia and autographed
photographs, all of which could have
been ruined had her roof not been
fixed.
"I've even got some pictures
of Elvis," she said.
The eaves on Mrs. Loggins' house
made her roofing job more challenging
than many. The Center for
Housing Resources recruited carpenters
to rework the eaves and remove six
layers of shingles from parts of
the roof.
But with Griffith Roofing finishing
up the job, Mrs. Loggins can forget
about hauling out the buckets.
"I'm so happy, I don't know
what to do," she said.
The Dallas Housing Department's
People Helping People program recommended
homeowners for new roughs, based
on income and need.
"We have more people in need
than we can get to fast enough," said
Gale Paul, People Helping People
program coordinator. "We
plan to do this again next spring."
The roofing companies donated labor
not only to help others but to dispel
the notion that some roofers are
less than reputable, said Cathy Jones
of the Center for Housing Resources.
"There are always bad roofer
stories," she said. "All
you hear about are roofing scams
on the elderly.
"They've come to adopt these
people, and they've all agreed to
do it again in the spring." |
