- Derek Debowski is an island resident who had his garage and part of his home burned and destroyed in a fire in 2020.
- Since 2020, the City of Corpus Christi has issued 30 citations to Debowski in regards to his property.
- Recently, individuals and businesses on the island came together to volunteer time and money to fix and renovate Debowski's property, for free.
- Debowski's neighbor down the street, Kevin Hankins, organized the neighbors helping neighbors initiative to get Debowski back on his feet.
- Hankins says that Debowski has been living without utilities for 4 years.
It's been over four years since island resident Derek Debowski lost his garage, part of his home, and his pet dog in a garage fire at 15218 Reales Dr. in 2020. According to neighbor Kevin Hankins, due to Debowski's various personal and financial struggles, Debowski's property has not been cleaned up since the fire.
Recently, neighbors on the island have come together to volunteer their time and money to fix up Debowski's house and property so that he does not have to pay.
“Derek is a very unique individual, a really great guy. Everybody loves him, he, you know, he helps the neighbors, he helps the ladies next door, pull their weeds, cut their grass, you know, anything he can do, he’s real helpful," Hankins said.
Hankins took the initiative in getting neighbors together to volunteer to help Debowski. Several individuals and businesses have donated time, work, food, tools, and more to fix up Debowski's property.
“I met Derek about a month ago. And in that month, we’ve removed the garage, cleaned it up, and have made massive progress, you can see by the dumpster behind us, cleaning things up," Hankins said.
Just a few of the businesses that have donated time and materials to help Debowski are Muniz Electrical Masters, The Padre Island Baptist Church, The Home Depot, Skid-O-Kan, Niko's Steakhouse, Lowe's, Ashmore Paint, Sherwin-Williams, and many more.
Hankins said that Debowski has been living without utilities for four years, so since the fire.
“He’s had his whole life disrupted and taken away from him. He’s lived in this run-down, hovel of a house, with no utilities for four years. The city shut off all his utilities, and made life even harder on someone who was having a hard time," Hankins said.
A spokesperson from the City of Corpus Christi said in a statement to KRIS 6 News that:
"30 citations have been issued over the last five years, from 2020 - 2024 for various code violations that have not been resolved by the property owner. There are three current active cases: two for property maintenance issues and one for a junked vehicle."
Despite the citations from the city, the neighbors are still taking matters into their own hands to help Debowski restore his home, at no cost to him.
Hankins said that the city has sent maintenance crews out to Debowski's house to do work, but that Debowski would be billed for the work that the city completes. That's why the neighbors wanted to do the restoration work, free of charge.
“The fire devastated his house, lost his dog, and the city started beating on him and its just been progressively worse over a four year period of time. And we just stepped in, just said, how can we help? We want to help you, we want to get you back on your feet, what can we do? And he said thank you,” Hankins said.
Hankins said that the project to restore Debowski's home is still ongoing and that the crew would appreciate any additional donated support, resources, or help. If you're interested in helping, call Kevin Hankins at 361-533-6288.
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