EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — We are following through on your concerns about a federal grant program to repair homes that have frustrated some homeowners.
One city leader in East Cleveland took action while we were there to try to help a frustrated homeowner.
Gloria Brightman's home needed repairs. She heard about the city's federally funded homeowner grant program.
”I thought it's a great thing for East Cleveland and it will aid in a lot of repairs,” said Brightman.
She was one of hundreds who got $3,000 each for fixes. She wanted repairs on the roof, soffit, and gutters. One catch, though, she had to use a contractor on the city's list, not her own choice.
She was assigned a company that did the work and passed inspection; however, Brightman said weeks later there were issues.
“When the first big rain came, it was leaking,” she told us. “And I immediately called him, and he promised to come out, and he never showed. And that's been going on for the past year.”
News 5 Investigators called and emailed the contractor and the Mayor of East Cleveland. No one answered.
“I think that the city can do a far better job in putting a protocol together,” said East Cleveland City County President Town Billings. We asked him to come out to Brightman’s home.
He told us he's talked with others who used the grant program and have similar contractor problems.
In fact, we are following through on our News 5 reports from last September with people going through the same thing.
RELATED: East Cleveland residents, city leaders report issues with homeowners grant program
“(Contractors are) going to make sure they are going to do the minimum to get $3,000,” said Billings.
For Brightman, he sent a message to her former contractor as he stood in front of her home. “This is Twon Billings. I'm the Council President for the city of East Cleveland…” he said.
With no solution at that point, he made another plan. “Then I'm going to take her personally down to the law department and say I need you to deal with this,” said Billings.
We followed them to city hall. Billings had a message for contractors. “If you (are) not coming out here doing what you're supposed to do, then that administration needs to go after them, file charges against them, and force them to come up in here and do they job,” he told us.
Brightman said at city hall that they pulled up records for the contractor, and he’s no longer bonded with the city. She told us she’ll talk with city leaders next week about finding a new contractor to fix her home.
“I just want the roof to stop leaking and for it to be done correctly as it should have been done the first time,” said Brightman.
