New Beginnings for some Houston mentally disabled after abuse

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"New Beginnings for Some Mentally Disabled Residents

2/19/04

Doug Miller, 11 News (KHOU)

"Caseworkers took the residents out of an unlicensed assisted living facility in southwest Harris County Wednesday evening. The mentally challenged people were living in squalor and without plumbing...."

"...But at the place investigators cleared out Wednesday in the 12300 block of Bedford, residents say they were treated like animals. The owner, Vivian Ifediora, allegedly beat her mentally challenged residents with broomsticks.


A state investigator came to the home in southwest Harris County one day last week. And in her court affidavit, she says that she saw a resident of the facility walking away from the building. When she asked him where he was going, he allegedly said he was forbidden from using the toilet here, so he was going to walk down the street and relieve himself underneath a nearby bridge. When he returned, the affidavit states, he said he'd used his shirt as toilet paper...."

"...'It's a greedy, money oriented business," says Harris County Attorney Mike Stafford. "Once these people get themselves named as payee on these government checks, very often, unfortunately, their motive to take care of the people just goes out the window."


Now Evangeline Roomes is caring for residents of that closed facility. They are sharing quarters with the others who live at the licensed center.


"I was just so hurt, because I did not know human beings were treated like that," says Roomes. "And it's very sad.'..."

http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou040219_ds_AssistedLiving.b0350f8.html