ALEXANDER, AR — After being chosen to receive a home from a non-profit organization, a disabled veteran living here in Central Arkansas was thrilled, until he walked through the front door.
Veteran Thomas Smith said there’s not enough time in the day to list all the problems with his home in Alexander.
He says he’s grateful the organization Home on the Homefront gave him the place, but he’s more than disappointed with the job done by the contractors to fix it up.
Smith walked us through his home in Alexander.
He says problems range from a faulty water heater to a dangerous deck.
Smith — who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder — said he fell through the deck and went to the emergency room.
He said, “When I fell out there, everything came racing back. I thought I was past that.”
Expectations fell short for a soldier that now feels he’s fighting a different type of battle.
As an Army veteran, Smith is eligible for a program that places vets in foreclosed homes.
Before the family moves in, contractors fix the place up, but Smith says their home was a mess.
Smith said, “And for a company to do this to veterans, that they get hurt, that’s just God, it’s so wrong.”
We called the listed contractors for the job.
A representative with Truly Noble out of Texas said they ran into problems when Smith’s wife got angry about their work.
The representative said, “I am not going to put myself or my people that work for me in a bad situation.”
The other contractor — Crushing Construction in Benton — also called the working environment hostile.
But Smith says that’s just not true.
While they addressed problems with the contractor, Smith says things never got out of hand.
He said, “I don’t know what to say about all this. It’s messed up.”
With nowhere else to go, the family makes repairs on their own, just hoping no one gets hurt again.
We also reached out to the non-profit organization Home on the Homefront.
They’re aware of the issue and working to bring in a new contractor to finish things up for the family.
If you would like to follow Melissa Schroeder’s reports on Facebook, you can click here and like her page.
Veteran Thomas Smith said there’s not enough time in the day to list all the problems with his home in Alexander.
He says he’s grateful the organization Home on the Homefront gave him the place, but he’s more than disappointed with the job done by the contractors to fix it up.
Smith walked us through his home in Alexander.
He says problems range from a faulty water heater to a dangerous deck.
Smith — who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder — said he fell through the deck and went to the emergency room.
He said, “When I fell out there, everything came racing back. I thought I was past that.”
Expectations fell short for a soldier that now feels he’s fighting a different type of battle.
As an Army veteran, Smith is eligible for a program that places vets in foreclosed homes.
Before the family moves in, contractors fix the place up, but Smith says their home was a mess.
Smith said, “And for a company to do this to veterans, that they get hurt, that’s just God, it’s so wrong.”
We called the listed contractors for the job.
A representative with Truly Noble out of Texas said they ran into problems when Smith’s wife got angry about their work.
The representative said, “I am not going to put myself or my people that work for me in a bad situation.”
The other contractor — Crushing Construction in Benton — also called the working environment hostile.
But Smith says that’s just not true.
While they addressed problems with the contractor, Smith says things never got out of hand.
He said, “I don’t know what to say about all this. It’s messed up.”
With nowhere else to go, the family makes repairs on their own, just hoping no one gets hurt again.
We also reached out to the non-profit organization Home on the Homefront.
They’re aware of the issue and working to bring in a new contractor to finish things up for the family.
If you would like to follow Melissa Schroeder’s reports on Facebook, you can click here and like her page.
