CAMDEN – Isabel Rivera first noticed a problem four months ago.
Washing dishes in the sink of her 4th Street Camden home that she has shared with her husband, Samuel, for 25 years, she noticed water coming up through the drain. Disturbing noises were also emanating from below. The same occurrences, she realized, were happening to other sinks and toilets around the home.
When it rained, the problem got worse, and Samuel would have to painstakingly use a thin wire to unclog the outside drain. This was no easy task for a 70-year-old retiree with persistent heart issues.
“When he came back, he would always have heart and back pain,” Isabel, 71, recalls.
Realizing they needed a new sewer line, she called the City of Camden, and was put in touch with Ruth Rosario in the city’s Division of Housing Services. After an assessment, the city estimated the cost of repairs to be $7,000, a difficult ask for a retired couple who, in combined Social Security and Supplemental Security Income, make about $1,200 a month.
Rosario helped the couple apply for a city grant, and being found in good standing – with the diligent husband and wife paying all of their bills on time – the Riveras were approved for $5,000 toward the work. However, $2,000 still needed to be found.
In stepped Catholic Charities Diocese of Camden. Thanks to strong community ties and good working relationships, Rosario reached out to Sylvia Loumeau, MSW, LCSW, director of clinical and social work services, who asked Luz Rivera (no relation), a bilingual case manager with Catholic Charities, to work with the couple. She quickly realized the sewer line problem couldn’t wait any longer.
Catholic Charities agreed to pay the remaining $2,000 needed for the repairs, funds made possible by the monies raised during the annual Awards and Dinner held Oct. 25 in Atlantic City. Thanks to this event, Catholic Charities has “the flexibility to respond to [clients’] needs,” especially when they can’t receive help from anywhere else, Loumeau said.
“Our great case managers – like Luz – dive into the history of the clients and want to make sure they are connected to the services that they need and might be eligible for,” Loumeau said.
Both born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Isabel and Samuel were married 52 years ago and made their way to the United States in 1982. Isabel started working in a sock factory in Camden, eventually moving her skills to a Pennsauken sewing factory. She later opened up her own daycare at their home, filled with children referred by the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (now the Division of Child Protection and Permanency).
Samuel worked in a chicken factory, as well as in construction and carpentry before his heart problems manifested nine years ago, which necessitated his retirement.
The couple have six children – three biological and three adopted – 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of whom they see as much as possible since they are close by. Every Sunday, Isabel attends a Pentecostal church.
In about a month, it’s estimated that Atlantic Heating and Cooling will get to work on the sewer issue.
“God sent good people,” from Catholic Charities and the city of Camden, Isabel says. “It’s been one blessing after another.”
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