'A new roof, you can't beat it!'
CENTRALIA, Wash. -- Homeless and living out of her car for months after a devastating flood, a Lewis County woman now finally has a new home.
Pam Riley was giddy Wednesday as she gave a full tour of her new home. It's a long way from where she's been since the terrible floodwaters of 2007 destroyed her home.
The flooding caused mold to grow all through the house, making Pam so sick she lost her job.
Pam said she's worked hard all her life and then one flood just took it all away.
"Waitress, cashier, you work hard and then to have that happen, it just got scary," she said. "It's been an ordeal."
Her neighbor said to contact KOMO, and she did, but the mold was so bad, the Lewis County Long Term Recovery Office said Pam's trailer had to go.
Last fall, she was told there were some trailers that were available but they were too expensive to move.
So Pam waited and waited and waited -- the whole time homeless, living in her car.
We went back to the Long Term Recovery in March, asking them again to help Pam.
"The recovery is slow," said the agency's Sharon Gober. "They say 2 to 5 years."
But Pam could not live out of her car another day, so we went to other agencies.
Carl Raben, with the Community Action Council originally said, "she didn't really fit into any great categories."
But finally, Raben and others at the State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development -- or CTED for short -- found a way to get Pam a new trailer.
"I got the keys! New roof, you can't, you can't beat it. I'm so thrilled! I'm thrilled! I am I'm thrilled!" Pam exclaimed.
This is not a free house for Pam. She had to meet a list of criteria and sign a 15-year deferred lease. And she's hoping to pay for it with a new job.
CTED Program Manager, Pat McLachlan said they used $4 million federal dollars last year to repair and weatherize 164 homes. It's a job Raben said he loves.
"Help them get them on their feet, whatever it takes to make things happen," he says. "That's what makes it worth it. It's what makes you get up in the morning."
And now that's the job Pam wants. She told me she'll get her GED in just a few weeks and then she's going to take some computer classes, so she can get a job at one of those agencies.
"I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else," she said. "And I will."
Pam Riley was giddy Wednesday as she gave a full tour of her new home. It's a long way from where she's been since the terrible floodwaters of 2007 destroyed her home.
The flooding caused mold to grow all through the house, making Pam so sick she lost her job.
Pam said she's worked hard all her life and then one flood just took it all away.
"Waitress, cashier, you work hard and then to have that happen, it just got scary," she said. "It's been an ordeal."
Her neighbor said to contact KOMO, and she did, but the mold was so bad, the Lewis County Long Term Recovery Office said Pam's trailer had to go.
Last fall, she was told there were some trailers that were available but they were too expensive to move.
So Pam waited and waited and waited -- the whole time homeless, living in her car.
We went back to the Long Term Recovery in March, asking them again to help Pam.
"The recovery is slow," said the agency's Sharon Gober. "They say 2 to 5 years."
But Pam could not live out of her car another day, so we went to other agencies.
Carl Raben, with the Community Action Council originally said, "she didn't really fit into any great categories."
But finally, Raben and others at the State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development -- or CTED for short -- found a way to get Pam a new trailer.
"I got the keys! New roof, you can't, you can't beat it. I'm so thrilled! I'm thrilled! I am I'm thrilled!" Pam exclaimed.
This is not a free house for Pam. She had to meet a list of criteria and sign a 15-year deferred lease. And she's hoping to pay for it with a new job.
CTED Program Manager, Pat McLachlan said they used $4 million federal dollars last year to repair and weatherize 164 homes. It's a job Raben said he loves.
"Help them get them on their feet, whatever it takes to make things happen," he says. "That's what makes it worth it. It's what makes you get up in the morning."
And now that's the job Pam wants. She told me she'll get her GED in just a few weeks and then she's going to take some computer classes, so she can get a job at one of those agencies.
"I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else," she said. "And I will."