By David Harry
Staff Writer

Biddeford residents Alfred and Pauline Proulx pride themselves on being self-reliant.
The couple, married 39 years, came together after he would walk from his home in Old Orchard Beach to visit her in Biddeford when they were young adults.
“Now I just want to go home,” Alfred Proulx, 58, said Monday.
Since August, the couple has been unable to stay overnight in their Wentworth Street apartment in Biddeford. They were evicted because of code violations in the second-floor unit of the building they own.
“It is hard for us to ask for anything,” said Pauline Proulx, 60, as she sat in the living room of a friend’s home on Guinea Road.
However, the Proulxs need help.Alfred Proulx was diagnosed with prostate cancer and is in Stage 4 of the disease.
Their apartment lacks a proper fire escape and needs electrical work and hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. The needed repairs were outlined in a Sept. 29 letter to the couple from Biddeford Life Safety Inspector Scott Welton.
The code violations were discovered when emergency crews responded to a distress call for Alfred Proulx in August. While he was hospitalized for more than a month, Pauline Proulx said she was told she could only visit the apartment from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Tenants in an apartment upstairs also have been evicted, Pauline Proulx said.
“I don’t hold that against them, I’m just mad I am not at home,” Alfred Proulx said about city officials.
Some of the electrical work to fix code violations would complete projects he started before he was diagnosed with cancer, he said.
Pauline Proulx said she visits the apartment to shower and check on their cat. She relies on family to drive her to the house where the couple has lived for 19 years.
“I’m a lot stronger than I was when I got out of the hospital,” Alfred Proulx said, but he still requires a walker to get around and stays put when his wife goes out.
Though not part of the city requirements to move back in, Alfred said he will need a chair lift to get to his apartment.
Pauline Proulx said the couple has faced adversity over the years, from losing jobs at local mills to several heart attacks Alfred has had. He is diabetic and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008.
The Proulxes were self-employed then and contracted with a company at the Portland Jetport to return misplaced luggage to travelers. Pauline Proulx said they eventually quit the job because of increased fuel prices.
They do not have health insurance and depend on Alfred Proulx’s disability payments for income.
The Proulx’s plight has attracted the attention of city officials, including General Assistance Administrator Vicky Edgerly.
Edgerly has asked the public to donate to help pay for repairs. North Dam Mill business owner and Arundel Selectman Dana Peck said he can build the needed metal fire escape. Also involved in fundraising are members of the Biddeford-Saco Rotary Club.
Rotarian David Lowe estimated it will cost $1,500 to build the fire escape and buy electrical supplies to fix code violations, but Peck said the fire escape might cost about half of Lowe’s estimate of $1,000.
Peck will work with Haley’s Metal Shop in Biddeford to fabricate the fire escape. Brothers Bob and Nelson Bouchey of Biddeford-based N. and R. Electric are ready to do wiring repairs.
Peck said he and the Boucheys planned to meet with city officials this week to see exactly what is needed to fix code violations and what costs are to finish the job.
Then he will meet the Proulxes for the first time.
“If I had family members in the same situation, I’d like to think people would step forward for us,” Peck said.
Uncomfortable with the attention and unaccustomed to relying on others, Alfred Proulx said he hopes any extra money raised will go to help others in need.
The couple finds reasons to smile as they talk about their lives together and still feel blessed despite their troubles, they said.
“If we cry, what good is it going to do?” Pauline Proulx asked.