CHARLOTTE — The Housing Collaborative, a nonprofit, is helping residents at the Lamplighter Inn in northwest Charlotte find places to live after the city said it’s shutting down the motel because it’s unsafe.
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Sixty-eight tenants at the inn have been displaced because of poor living conditions.
Two weeks ago, city officials told them that they had to be out of the motel by Dec. 11.
Since then, multiple city partners, including Crisis Assistance Ministry, stepped up to place tenants in other hotels.
Tenant Tamara Jennings said Wednesday night was her first night at her new temporary home.
“Never thought that I would ever have to use them as a resource,” she said.
Jennings is also getting help from The Housing Collaborative to get permanent housing.
“This the greatest Christmas gift that I received,” said Tamara Jennings.
It’s a gift that Jennings said came with hot water and electricity which are two things she had to live without for a while.
“Coming here and seeing that it was clean and it’s spacious, shower runs, heat works,” Jennings said. “Hot water is running. It just made it all the better.”
The Housing Collaborative was there to streamline fundamental needs, Peele said.
“For us, this is about a feeling that everyone deserves to have a roof over their head,” said Tara Peele, the CEO of Housing Collaborative. “That’s just a basic human need.”
Peele said they’re assisting the Lamplighter Inn tenants with permanent housing by also alleviating some of the financial burdens.
“Sometimes that means helping to pay some of the upfront housing cost, if we have funds to do that – removing those barriers,” Peele said.
Jennings said she is at peace knowing that she’ll be warm for the holidays.
“I am forever grateful because I will get to spend Christmas indoors,” Jennings said.
She can move into permanent housing within a month.
The city is still working with other tenants to provide them with housing before the Dec. 11 deadline.
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