The story of Gloria Harris’ plight is a sad one.
Where do you want to start? The part about her losing water way back in February? The part about her still being without water to this day? How about the part where she hasn’t had a bath in her tub since February because that’s where she keeps her water for other household purposes? Then there’s the part about her having to buy pretty much all of the water she uses. And don’t forget the part about her house going down the tubes because of the water breaks and the leakage.
We’re hoping someone comes to her rescue, and if we know this town at all, someone will.
She doesn’t quite fit into any of the boxes for the “official” help that’s out there. Her pipes burst — like many others — during the big freeze in February that saw pretty much the whole city crippled because of water problems. Liberty Utilities put up $250,000 that was to be used to help people in such predicaments, but there were strings attached with regard to using the money. Liberty didn’t want to pay out more than $500 to fix any one person’s plumbing problems, and to get more, the person had to qualify for money that the city’s Economic and Community Development Department had. Harris’ plumbing problems are closer to $2,000.
Harris’ daughter, Charita Cason, came to town to help because she was concerned about her 72-year-old mother’s predicament. What she found was troubling to say the least. The floor of the house, Cason said, has been so compromised by the leaking pipes that she doesn’t venture farther into the house than the living room.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The other wrinkle to this story is that Harris is tough. She fought hard to live in her neighborhood, and she struggled to pay for her house. And it is that tenacity that has her determined to stay there. Cason is trying her best to help her mom, but there’s only so much she can do. She’s reached out to plumbers, but they want to be paid upfront and don’t want to hassle of being reimbursed. And Harris doesn’t qualify for loans because her income is her Social Security check.
Perhaps Liberty Utilities can go back and take another look at her situation, and likewise, maybe Economic and Community Development can look at her problems and see if it can help.
People like Harris are as much a part of the fabric of this community as any others. As her daughter said, Harris has given much over the years to help those around her. Now, she needs some help. Surely, someone out there reading this can step up.