Elderly Couple in Pharr Living in Poverty, Seek Housing
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UPDATE (11/21): An elderly couple is now living in better conditions after their story aired on CHANNEL 5 NEWS.
The room Maria Lopez and her husband call home has no running water. Since speaking to them on Tuesday, a caseworker with the Hidalgo County Community Service Agency got in touch and provided them a heater.
On Wednesday, the city of Pharr informed us they moved the couple into temporary housing while the home is brought back into compliance.
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PHARR – A senior couple is living in a small home without running water but don’t know where to turn.
With cracked walls and a door that doesn’t stay shut, the only way they keep the house warm is by heating water on the stove.
Eighty-year-old Maria Lopez explains she and her husband, who is now sick, are living off of $1,000 per month.
"Dialysis makes him weak, they're washing his kidneys. He's weak. Sometimes he can stand, other times he can't,” she says.
Lopez says $350 of that income goes to rent, $130 to car insurance and $260 to pay for their future funeral.
KRGV’s Christian von Preysing explains they applied with the local housing authority but there aren’t any openings at the moment.
Director Jaime Longoria says they’re a priority for assistance because of their age and lack of running water.
For more information, visit the Hidalgo County Community Service Agency's website.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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