A homeless Lompoc family is in Hollywood today to tape a segment on the “Dr. Phil” Show about the rising cost of healthcare and the vanishing middle class, according to community advocates who have rallied to support them.

Manuel Herrera, a husband and father of four children ranging in age from 10 to 15, had recently lost his job, medical insurance and home, just as he was dealing with his wife's serious illness. The family, who had been living and attending school in Lompoc, has been living in a recreational vehicle in Carpenteria since the troubles began.

Eddie Taylor, the regional United Way vice president for resource and development, was contacted by a producer of the national talk show who informed him last Thursday of the Herreras' story.

Taylor, a past president and a current advisor for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Santa Barbara County, said he hopes to place the Herreras in a low-cost home built through the program. He has yet to find a sponsor for that goal.

“Our goal is to see if they can qualify for a Habitat for Humanity home in Lompoc, and if we can locate a sponsor,” Taylor said. “Normally we would get those funds through traditional fund-raising channels and use government grant money. But by far, the quickest, smoothest way to build the house is through an organization sponsoring the home and participating in construction of the home.”

Before then, Taylor said his first step in helping the family was to find transitional interim housing for them in Lompoc.

After the call from the Dr. Phil producer, Taylor immediately called Sue Ehrlich, the director of the Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation, who secured a low-cost housing unit for the Herreras on the 300 block of North K Street. The unit had been used earlier in the year to house families from Louisiana who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Advertisement

“I think it's wonderful that we can bring a Lompoc family home and hope,” Taylor said. “The kids want to get back to school with their friends. If a job is unavailable for them, we will work with them on job placement.”

Taylor said he was also glad to assist a family in need. “I'm a community advocate and I'm grateful God put me on the path that the Dr. Phil Show was able to contact me and I was able to contact the people who could help,” he said.

The Herreras could not be reached for comment as of press time Monday. No details were available about Manuel Herrera's wife's illness. The show will air on network television in about two weeks.

Neil Nisperos can be reached at 737-1059 or

nnisperos@santamariatimes.com.

Sept. 12, 2006