Javier Medina, seated next to his father Julian Medina, tried to get help from the Texas Workforce Commission, but was ineligible. Other ex-city employees say they're getting food stamps to help them get by until their first checks come. They retired May 1.

Javier Medina's mother died in April, the same month he finalized his paperwork for the city's voluntary early retirement program.

The 26-year city employee worked as a technician for the Houston Police Department. At the time, early retirement seemed like the best option so he could take care of his ailing father and his two young children, ages 8 and 9.

Medina is among the remaining city employees who still have not received any pension payments, nearly four months after officially retiring in May. They were told the payments would start 60 to 90 days after the May 1 retirement date.

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"Creditors are saying, 'We've given you too many chances.' It's been rough, especially when it comes to my children and school," he said. "Had I known this would happen, I would have never retired."

SEWING COLUMN: Gutted Houston Latino Learning Center falls victim to cutthroat Texas politics

Last month, I wrote that Houston city employees who participated in a voluntary early retirement program this spring had not received their pension checks on time. More than 1,000 employees signed up for the program as part of the city's $30 million cost-cutting........

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