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Blind man living in deplorable conditions getting some help; more work to do
BATON ROUGE - In the three weeks since 2 On Your Side visited a property on East Boulevard where a blind man in a wheelchair is living, further damage has been caused to the structure. People have continued to take advantage of the man living there. Tuesday, the man was picked up for an evaluation to see if he qualifies for inpatient care.
Richard Mahoney and Dru Ingram have been working to assist the man in getting the care he needs.
"I think one of the greatest tragedies we have here is [he] thinks this is normal," said Mahoney.
The house on East Boulevard has no running water, it's full of trash and old furniture. The bathroom has no floor, the toilet has fallen, and there's a hole where the kitchen counter and sink once sat. A blind man in a wheelchair has been living in the house for at least two decades. He has no living relatives.
Since our story in early February, others have joined Mahoney and Ingram to help.
"About eight or nine people are sort of hovering around the situation," said Ingram.
The property and the two others next to it are owned by Collis Temple, Jr. The man had been paying rent to Temple for years, but says he stopped paying when repairs weren't being made.
"He is squatting, he is squatting but there's the problem; this place didn't get like this in one year, this place has been like this for at least 10 years," said Mahoney.
Unfortunately, people have been stopping by the property and taking what few items belong to the blind man. He's also had other visitors.
"Mr. Temple has stopped by about three times and has offered me an apartment," said the man.
He hasn't taken the offer.
"The tenant-landlord situation has totally deteriorated," said Mahoney.
The process to get the man out of the house and into a better home has been challenging. Up until a week ago, he hadn't had a proper bath in a year. He has goals of going back to school and getting a job.
"I'm thankful that people are interested in helping someone like me," he said.
Mahoney and Ingram say they'll find out later this week if the man will be accepted for inpatient care. People are helping him look for a new home, and hope he'll be out of the house by the time he is released from rehab.