When a California assisted living home was unexpectedly shut down for numerous violations, sixteen elderly disabled residents were left behind with no place to go and no one to care for them.

"I just couldn’t see myself going home. Even though they wasn’t our family, they were kind of like our family for this short period of time." - Maurice Rowland

Maurice Rowland and Miguel Alvarez, the center’s cook and janitor, heroically chose to stay while other staffers walked away. They spent several days without pay caring for the residents until the fire department and sheriff took over.

The incident led to legislation in California known as the Residential Care for the Elderly Reform Act.

“My parents, when they were younger, they left me abandoned,” Alvarez said. “Knowing how they are going to feel, I didn’t want them to go through that. “If we left, they wouldn’t have nobody.“