Linda Cantu says she’s at the end of her rope. That’s because the Corpus Christi resident says that squatters, rodents, and thieves have taken over the house next door, and she can’t take it anymore.
Cantu told KRIS TV how she hasn’t seen anything like this in the 25 years she’s lived on Green Grove Drive. At least, that was the case until around 10 years ago when the original owners of the home next door died, and the next-of-kin couldn’t be reached, leaving the property abandoned.
That’s when some undesirables started showing up on both two and four legs. However, budget issues with the city have left Cantu without many options for help, which is why she’s trying to get the word out about what’s going on.
Now, officials acknowledge that they are aware of the issue on Green Grove Drive, and the wider ripple effects that they are seeing from abandoned homes all across the city. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there is much anyone can do about it at the moment.
Cantu Says the House Next Door Has Become Dangerous
The upset woman talked to KRIS TV’s Drew Bishop about the situation recently. “I can’t handle this anymore. I’m an elder person, I’m disabled, I do whatever I can,” Cantu said of the issue. “It’s just been chaos in that house. I myself have seen people coming out of there. Bikers, homeless.”
Video taken from outside the home shows just how overgrown it is, with Cantu doing her best to try to trim back some of the vegetation that has managed to lean over into her yard. And it’s not just the greenery (and the rodents) that have been making their way onto her property.
According to her, she’s caught some of the squatters from next door trying to steal her utilities, running cables into her yard to siphon off the electricity.
Her Calls for Help Haven’t Led Anywhere
When she reached out to code enforcement, Cantu said she was blown off. Bishop tried to find a different avenue to get Cantu some help and brought District 2 City Councilwoman Sylvia Campos over to discuss the situation. During the get-together, Campos admitted to being aware of the situation happening next door, but revealed that there wasn’t anything they could do to help.
“There is no money in the budget for these abatements,” Campos continued, revealing that she reached out to the assistant city manager as well. She hopes that the upcoming budget meetings will offer them some new options for helping people like Cantu, allowing city officials to allot more resources for dealing with abandoned properties.