Moment of triumph for whistle-blower takes a tragic turn
With her death, her impact as a whistle-blower takes on a poignant new dimension. Farmer's complaints to government officials about the federally funded home repair program and subsequent lawsuit helped trigger an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that led to a temporary shutdown of the program. Documents Farmer obtained through open records laws and a lawsuit showed that contractors in the home repair program routinely billed the city for excessive materials and for work that wasn't performed or was done poorly. HUD's inquiries into the program led the agency to discover improper spending in other federally funded city-housing programs, prompting a demand for repayment of $15.5 million. The city paid the first of five installments Dec. 1.

Moment of triumph for whistle-blower takes a tragic turn

Woman, whose fight for housing repair revealed government waste, dies in her home
By MIKE SNYDER
Dec. 28, 2008
On Friday, a city inspector arrived at Marsha Farmer's Houston home to deliver long-awaited news: Her mold-damaged house would get fixed — repairs she first applied for through a city-run program in 2001.

That day, the Houston Chronicle had published a front-page article about Farmer's experience with the home repair program and her role in exposing its mismanagement. Farmer was happy and optimistic.

But the next day, the woman who spent almost eight years trying to stop the waste of public funds in the home repair program died in her northwest Houston house. The 58-year-old was discovered on her sofa by a neighbor, said Farmer's son, Bryan Nelson. A friend of Farmer's had contacted the neighbor after growing concerned when Farmer failed to show up for a visit, Nelson said.

"It seemed like she'd been taking a nap on the couch and just didn't wake up," Nelson said.

The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office said the cause of death had not been determined Sunday. Nelson said police who came to the scene said it appeared his mother had died of natural causes.

With her death, her impact as a whistle-blower takes on a poignant new dimension. Farmer's complaints to government officials about the federally funded home repair program and subsequent lawsuit helped trigger an investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that led to a temporary shutdown of the program.

Documents Farmer obtained through open records laws and a lawsuit showed that contractors in the home repair program routinely billed the city for excessive materials and for work that wasn't performed or was done poorly.

HUD's inquiries into the program led the agency to discover improper spending in other federally funded city-housing programs, prompting a demand for repayment of $15.5 million. The city paid the first of five installments Dec. 1.

Farmer qualified for the free program because of disability. She said she became disabled in 1998 due to chronic fatigue syndrome. She also suffered from heart disease, she said.

Farmer said she was extremely sensitive to the mold that grew in her house after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001. She had sealed off one bedroom because of mold and draped plastic over walls in other rooms.

Her illness was aggravated by the stress of her long struggle with the city, Farmer told the Chronicle recently.

''I knew trying to stop the waste would not be good for my health, but I also knew I had to try," Farmer said in an e-mail.

Although her lawsuit against the city and one of its former home repair contractors, the Houston Area Urban League, wasn't successful, two federal judges who reviewed the case cited her role in bringing problems in the program to light.

Repairs sought in 2001

Farmer was born Jan. 1, 1950, in Louisville, Ky. She later lived in St. Louis and moved to Houston in 1974. She earned a bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J., in 1992 while working for Houston-based Enron Corp. She also worked as a bookkeeper and in legal offices.

In 1987 she moved into her Oak Forest house. She first applied for repairs to the house in January 2001, but Allison flooded the house while she was still on a city waiting list.

Farmer had lived on Social Security disability payments since she became disabled. Starting in 2002, she began assembling home repair program documents from the city and its contractors, keeping boxes of files stacked in her living room and building a computer database.

The day before her death, a city inspector came to Farmer's house to complete an evaluation for repairs. The city's Department of Housing and Community Development reopened her case after the Chronicle inquired about it.

After Friday's inspection, Farmer said, the city agreed to make repairs including new electrical wiring, new siding, structural repairs and new drywall in rooms affected by mold for a total estimated cost of $45,000 to $50,000.

"I should end up with a good, strong house that's ready for another 50 years," Farmer said.

It wasn't clear Sunday whether the repairs would proceed. City housing department officials couldn't be reached.

Kathy Zuelzke, the friend Farmer was scheduled to visit Saturday, said she had agreed to wrap gifts for Farmer to give to her son and grandchildren, who she was planning to visit over the weekend.

Nelson said the last time he spoke to his mother, she seemed happy that her house would finally be repaired.

Funeral arrangements hadn't been finalized Sunday.

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