Radio listeners react to LV man’s struggle

Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2001 | 9:48 a.m.

After the creditors started calling in September, Euridice Santiago would sit at night in the kitchen of his Las Vegas home, thinking of his life insurance policy.

"I'm a religious man, and I know taking your own life is a sin, but when I thought of me, my wife and three children losing our house and everything, it seemed like an option," said Santiago, seated in the kitchen several months later.

But then, on Nov. 9, Santiago's luck changed when his plight was aired on a national radio show.

Santiago was one of the thousands of economic casualties of Sept. 11 in Las Vegas, and although he didn't lose his job, his only income dried up as a result of the terrorist attacks.

In July, Santiago left the hotel business where he had spent 15 years to gamble on a new venture in real estate. After Sept. 11, he again found himself caught up in the changing fortunes of the tourism industry, when most of his new-found clients were laid off.

With little chance of closing a deal, Santiago was forced into the job market.

Throughout September and October, he filled out applications and took tests for more than 20 jobs. He fell 60 days behind in his $1,150 monthly mortgage, not to mention car and student loans. His family was receiving food stamps for the first time.

The 48-year-old former chef first worked in the Hilton of San Juan, Puerto Rico, his homeland, and since 1987, in many of the Strip's bigger properties. His wife, Teresa, has worked as a housekeeper at Bally's for 11 years.

Santiago came to Las Vegas to study hotel management at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 14 years ago, working in housekeeping and as a porter at the Tropicana, Riviera, Rio and other hotels to pay for his studies. He got interested in becoming a chef along the way and wound up finishing a degree at a local culinary academy in 1994.

He had become a saucier chef at the Flamingo, earning $14.05 an hour until September 2000, when he decided he wanted a better future. "I had gone through one too many temporary layoffs. I began to feel like a number in a factory, with no control over my future. I wanted something more stable for my family," he said.

He decided to go into real estate, focusing on a market he had come to know well during the previous decade -- the thousands of Hispanics who move to Las Vegas to work in gaming.

After six months of studying he passed the Nevada real estate licence exam in June -- on his third try. He left his job cooking on July 15, with a growing list of clients. But in the week after Sept. 11, all but one of the possible buyers lost their jobs. They backed out of their plans to buy a house.

Santiago hit the streets. He took an exam for a job with Clark County as a bilingual employment security specialist -- and failed by three points. He took another exam with the Las Vegas Water District as a meter reader, and passed -- but he was placed 26th on a waiting list of 150. He applied as a cook in restaurants, but was told he had too much experience.

He asked the banks and financial agencies for deferments on his payments.

"They all said no. One said I needed to have a job to qualify. And I had never been late with one of my payments," he said.

Then one day in late October, he was listening to National Public Radio in his car while waiting to pick up his 10- and 11-year-old girls from school.

Reporter Jo Giese put out a call for people who were affected by Sept. 11 for a new series called "Checking in when the paycheck stops," which aired on "Marketplace," a weekday national program.

Less than two weeks later Santiago was telling his story to the nation on Nov. 9.

On Nov. 10 Giese called Santiago to tell him that people were calling her asking how they could help. Cards and letters began arriving at Santiago's address on the edge of Las Vegas and Henderson -- with checks included.

A couple from Boulder, Colo., asked if they could send his children some Christmas presents, "to take some stress off the holidays."

A man from Los Angeles said he would pray for him and his family and signed off, "Your brother in the Lord."

A man from Reston, Va., wrote, "As an immigrant myself, I understand how you feel." The man added, "However, please do not lose faith in yourself."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told Santiago much the same thing in a hand-written note, "Do not give up."

All told, the Santiago family received $8,800. Their mortgage is paid until May.

On Monday Santiago said, "God has been good with us. But at the same time, I feel like we don't deserve any more help. There are other people with more needs than us, and I wish the government could do more for them.

"Now all I want is a steady job that will get us back on our feet."

Santiago said he'd like to work for the city or the county in a job that would allow him to take advantage of being bilingual, and he'd like to continue to sell real estate on the side.

On Monday Santiago got the news that he would likely be closing his first real estate deal.

Giese will be doing a follow-up interview with Santiago on Dec. 4. Santiago said he feels a different pressure now.

"I don't want all this help to be in vain. I feel like I've been given an opportunity that I have to take advantage of now."