CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — There are about 100 people in Clarksville that could be out on the street if they don't find somewhere to live in the next two weeks.
River Edge Investments, Inc. sold the property where America's Best Inn and Suites sits on Eastern Parkway. The manager, Tony Yaldo, said the hotel has operated on the property for about 22 years. He said the property was sold to an undisclosed developer in Indianapolis.
Some of the residents living at the hotel have lived there for years because it's where they could afford to live.
Keeley Stingel said there is a mix of families, veterans, residents with disabilities, and some with medical concerns. Stingel is the executive director of the Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana. She said some residents may have prior convictions, felonies or even bad credit standing in the way of finding affordable housing.
"We believe in this group of people. We are here to support them," she said.
The coalition, along with several other community organizations focused on homeless outreach, are joining together to help the hotel residents.
"This could be a new opportunity to actually move out of this situation. Some of them are paying upwards of $1,200 dollars a month for rent and they're not able to save money to move somewhere that would be a better situation for them and their family with more room," Matthew Fleenor with the Nomad Church Collective said.
The groups are hoping to prevent any of the residents from having no place to go, which is why they are taking the time to talk with each resident to find out their individual needs and what kind of housing may fit best.
"We're really trying to prevent people from becoming homeless, that's the main issue," Rev. Jim Moon, pastor at Park Memorial United Methodist Church in Jeffersonville said. "Whether their new homes end up being a hotel or apartment of some kind."
Barbara Anderson runs Haven House, a shelter for those who are homeless. She said right now she is over capacity, housing about 90 people. Anderson said it concerns her that no shelter in the area has room for the families and individuals displaced by the hotel sale.
"Where do we send them? Louisville shelters are overcrowded. There really isn't any place," Anderson said. "It's kind of scary to think women and children and disabled people could be forced to make choices between which street they sleep on, which car they sleep in, which shelter they have to leave town to go to."
Anderson said what is happening at America's Best Inn and Suites is just shining a light on a bigger problem in the area.
"Affordable housing has been an issue in this community for many years," she said. "It's not going to end with this situation. This just highlights it because we're talking about so many people."
Anderson said people looking for low income housing can't apply right now for Section 8 or public housing in Clark or Floyd Counties because the wait lists are full. She said she wants to be able to help get the hotel residents in to other housing quickly so they can live on their own, rather than be house din shelters.
"I know how frightening it is for the people that have to live in it and i want to at all possible costs to avoid that," she said.
Members of several of the organizations plan to meet with residents at America's Best Inn and Suites on Monday, July 1 to discuss individual needs and how they can best help. They plan to do that from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The hotel is closing its doors on July 19th. Yaldo, the hotel's manager, said there are 50 rooms at it's sister location on Bardstown Road in Louisville that have been designated for residents should they decide to move there. If they decide to do so, they will receive $50 a week for the first month's rent to help alleviate the initial moving costs.
Anderson said the group has also reached out to Indiana State Representatives to ask for vouchers for the residents to help with immediate assistance.
The organizations have set up a fund through Community Action of Southern Indiana where people can donate to assist the families at America's Best Inn and Suites. Updates on what families need and how people can donate will be posted to the Dale Popp Jeffersonville Township Trustee Facebook page.
The Town of Clarksville also released a statement Wednesday afternoon stating it intends to purchase the property where America's Best Inn and Suites resides currently.
The statement reads:
The hotel site is located within a 20 acre area that the Town believes serves as a gateway for the community. Future development in this portion of Eastern Blvd could include new commercial, hospitality, recreational, and residential uses.
The Town of Clarksville has been made aware that the current residents of America’s Best Inn and Suites are being asked to depart the property by July 15th. The Town of Clarksville has and will continue to coordinate with Southern Indiana’s appropriate local public agencies and not-for-profit organizations to provide outreach and coordination of existing services for the long-term hotel occupants of America’s Best Inn and Suites. At this time, we are encouraging the residents to work with Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana if they need assistance with locating housing or shelter.