HOUSTON -- A Houston-area woman who just wanted to fix her home ended up in further debt with nothing to show for it, the Local 2 Troubleshooters reported Friday.

Rosemary Brooks lives in Sunnyside. Her home is stifling.

"I can't sleep at night, you know?" Brooks said.

It's not the heat keeping her awake. It's the rotting walls, dangling wires and water damage inside her home.

They were problems she paid a contractor $19,000 to repair.

"I think he did me wrong," Brooks said.

The contractor, Leonard Martinak, did not do all the work, Brooks said. He walked off the job last year, leaving her with an unlevel home and a loan that, when paid, will cost her twice as much as the value of her entire house.

"It seems like she's going to have a better quality of life and in essence, she gets herself hurt even worse," said Kate Kuffner of the Houston Housing Department.

Kuffner said Brooks is not alone.

"This has been happening in Acres Home, Third Ward, 5th Ward, Sunnyside -- all over Houston," she said.

The city said that contractors are targeting low-income neighborhoods.

Brooks found a flier in her mailbox.

It read, "The National Housing Act and the FHA has made it possible for millions of homeowners to repair their homes regardless of past credit history."

"I thought -- it's FHA, and I thought he was, you know, maybe going through something like (the FHA)," Brooks said.

But the Troubleshooters learned Martinak has no affiliation with the Federal Housing Authority. He is, however, quite familiar with the Harris County Jail.

Records show that he served two sentences for theft of property. He's awaiting trial in Arkansas on two other felony property theft charges.

Brooks did not pay Martinak directly. She mails her monthly payments to a Pasadena mortgage company.

The Troubleshooters met up with the lender who approved Martinak's work and the loan.

He said he helps homeowners such as Brooks whose bad credit might otherwise prevent her from getting a loan.

"By law, aren't you supposed to make sure that that contract work is done? Did you do that?" Local 2's Amy Davis asked.

"I'm sorry. We have no further comment," the lender said.

But he apparently had a few comments for Martinak. The same day Local 2 spoke with the lender, the contractor sent workers to Brooks' home to finish the job he had started last year.

The Troubleshooters tried to catch up with Martinak on the job, but he never showed. They finally reached him on the phone.

"So, for an entire year, where have you been?" Davis asked.

Martinak would not answer the Troubleshooters' questions.

But the lender told Local 2 that the contractor has also skipped out on several other jobs he has financed.

"It should be prosecuted. There are laws now to protect these people," he said.

Brooks just hopes that Martinak will at least finish her job, leaving her with a better roof over her head.

The Houston Housing Department has teamed up with the Houston-area Better Business Bureau to educate homeowners about predatory lending. They say you should always check the history of the contractors with the BBB before hiring them.