Roybal residents praise Burnco housing rehab after years of leaks

A presenter opened the segment by saying that for the Roybals a rainstorm was “a catastrophe,” not a mere inconvenience, and described red clay and water leaking into the pantry until the family kept pots and pans on the floor to catch it.

A Roybal resident said the household had needed a new roof for a long time and that repairs were expensive on a fixed income. “It was leaking all over the place and very expensive, and our income is, you know, just Social Security,” the resident said.

The presenter identified Burnco’s housing rehabilitation program as the solution and said the effort was funded by housing initiatives championed by the state legislature. No funding amounts or program-wide reach were provided in the segment.

Residents described the work itself and their satisfaction. “The guys came every day. They did what they had to do,” one resident said. Another said the crews completed the roof work and installed recessed lighting in the kitchen and den, adding, “They did a beautiful, beautiful job.”

The segment also named Gerald Chavez as the creator of the program; a resident said of Chavez, “He's doing a great job getting help to the people that need it.” A different resident summarized the impact of the funds: “The amount of money that we've been given, we've done miracles with.”

Residents emphasized that many other people on fixed incomes need similar help, signaling broader local demand for housing rehabilitation services. The segment did not provide details on how many households have been served, the total budget, or program eligibility criteria.

The Roybals said the repairs have helped them stay in their home. Further information about program scale, funding amounts and administrative oversight was not specified in the transcript.