More than 150 people displaced from Henderson motel; community rallies around them

Right along Parham Road in Henderson now sits the 121 Motel with a green “Do Not Enter” sign.

City officials plastered the sign on the front window just about an hour after energy crews turned off the power, and community groups helped move about 150 people – including 72 children - from their rooms.

Some guests told WRAL they had been staying at the motel for months, others for years. Tuesday at noon was their deadline to leave. One guest said they only found out the previous weekend.

“They only had about a day and a half to get this organized. We've got people not sure what direction they need to be taking,” said Robert Parham, the communications director of Rebuilding Hope.

According to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, an awning fell at the motel in April. That’s when inspectors found multiple health violations and determined the hotel was unsafe.

The department said they told the motel manager to “immediately inform” its guests but did not.

“On Friday, city, county and state leaders learned that communication had not happened and immediately began working on standing up a shelter for the displaced residents to move to more stable and safer housing,” according to the department.

Additionally, one guest told WRAL News that a sick child was taken to the hospital. The medical staff believed the illness was linked to black mold.

“I look back 10 years ago, we had our first church service here,” said Pastor John Miles with the Risen Faith Outreach Ministry.

On Tuesday, miscellaneous trash littered the property, and the buildings had damage to the walls and ceilings. Miles said he was heartbroken to see its current condition.

“I feel bad for the people that have been living here. I had no idea this many people were staying out here,” he said. “This condition here, they cannot stay. We've been told the kids have been getting sick here.”

About a dozen volunteers showed up at the motel to help transport the guests to Wal-Mart to get essentials and then to the former Eaton-Johnson Middle School gymnasium. That’s where the city and state set up a temporary shelter.

Several resources, including mental health and children’s services, were at the shelter for guests. The space will be available to them for about a week, according to a city spokesperson.

Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott shared her gratitude to the community for “the acts of kindness and the resiliency of this community to answer the call to help our families in need.”

Parham said this whole situation emphasizes the issue of homelessness, not just in larger metropolitan areas.

“These people, although they had a roof over their heads, were right next to [homelessness]. Now that that roof has evaporated, we don't want them to turn into a homeless statistic … It doesn't just affect Raleigh; it affects small towns too,” he said.

Churches and community groups are working to find them a more permanent, stable place to stay.