Plan to Put Family in House Is Delayed

ORANGE — All Roberto Alcala and his family wanted last June was a new roof for their home. But for nearly a year, they have been living in an apartment at the county’s expense, and their house has been demolished.

Repairs were to have been made through the county’s housing rehabilitation program. However, crews hired by the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development to fix the roof discovered that the house was structurally unsound.

So officials moved the family of five to an apartment nearby and began looking for money to replace the home. Rent so far has cost the county about $9,000.

It appeared that the Alcalas’ problems would be solved Tuesday when the Board of Supervisors considered spending $103,000 in county and federal funds for a new, four-bedroom, modular home to replace what remains of the Alcalas’ former Earlham Street home.

But the decision was delayed for a week so supervisors could receive more detailed information about the situation. Supervisor Todd Spitzer demanded to know why housing contractors hadn’t discovered the structural damage before they yanked off the roof.

“This is more evidence that the previous housing staff did not have the expertise to make these types of assessments,” said Spitzer, who has pushed the county to reform its housing rehab program. “Now the county has to build an entirely new house.”

Meanwhile, Alcala, who works at an Irvine nursery, said he’s eager to have his home replaced.

“I need a new house very quickly,” said Alcala, who shares the apartment with his wife, daughters ages 6 and 3, and his father. On the weekends, his two older children, ages 12 and 10, join the clan.

Controversy over the county’s program for fixing up homes in low-income areas flared this year when it was discovered that substandard work had been done by county-hired contractors and some homes were left in poor condition.

In the Alcalas’ case, the original plan called for spending $17,000 for a new roof. But once the old one came off and the damage was discovered, there was nothing to do but move the family out and demolish it, said Manny Manzo, county director of community housing.