Since Christmas, hotel stays were covered. Now, displaced Charlotte seniors must pay.
When Betty Johnson left her part-time job early to find out if her living situation would change — she prayed for good news.
Instead she heard the worst.
The latest in a protracted saga, Johnson and others learned Monday Magnolia Senior Apartments’ residents were now responsible for their hotel bills, at least through March. She also was one of 40 residents whose leases will be terminated on March 31.
“Nobody seems to care,” Johnson, 69, said at a community meeting at Residence Inn by Marriott Charlotte Northlake. “But I am somebody.”
Residents of the Beatties Ford Road complex have lived in hotels since a Christmas Day water leak displaced them. Private donors, city and county officials helped cover the seniors’ stays since then.
Seniors will now pay Crisis Assistance Ministry their typical monthly rent at Magnolia for the hotel stay, said Bill Bolstad, executive director of Mosaic Development.
The Charlotte-based nonprofit heads the Magnolia Senior Apartments Housing Stability Project team, a joint effort between nonprofits and the city to offer supplies and long-term housing.
The nonprofit will use the rent payments for seniors’ stay at the hotels.
Carol Hardison, executive director of Crisis Assistance Ministry, said after two months of assistance this shifts seniors’ rent to their current residence. She added it’s not a move to raise money as some families pay less than $100 a month.
“It’s out of fairness to all people in need of financial assistance,” Hardison emailed the Observer.
Bolstad said 50 units will also have to be cleared of personal belongings by the end of March. This will allow a contractor to begin reconstruction of the building, he said. Another 30 units were minimally impacted and could be reopened for residents in the next few months, he added.
Residents whose leasers are terminated will be able to reapply for their units once they are restored, he said.
“Our goal is to release units as we get them done as quickly as possible,” Bolstad said.
Johnson said it was an additional burden for seniors to hire movers and place their furniture and belongings in storage. She first came to Magnolia in 2020, and cared deeply about her home.
It feels as if the property management is doing more to protect themselves than the seniors, she said, adding seniors are not at fault for the damage.
Always hoping for a positive update at these community meetings, Johnson says it feels like a never-ending predicament.
“Honestly, I’ve just been praying to God about it now,” Johnson said. “That’s all I can do.”
‘A burden’
Residents were able to return to Magnolia last month to grab some of their belongings. At least seven residents have been approved for housing, according to a spreadsheet provided by Crisis Assistance Ministry. One resident has moved into housing, while eight more are living with family.
Nilka Mcdonald, a Magnolia Senior Apartments resident, said when she returned her some of her belongings were missing.
“It wasn’t a material thing,” Mcdonald said. “These were things left by my dad that died... and now they’re gone.”
Seniors’ lifestyles have been greatly disrupted since December, according to Johnson. In her apartment she had two bedrooms, a stove, refrigerator, a hot fryer and years of memories. Now she only has a mini fridge and a microwave in a small hotel room, she said.
Johnson will not have to compete for her unit once it’s fixed, but she will have to reapply and be re-certified.
“All this extra stuff falling on me is a burden,” she said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
