HENDERSON — A good half of the families displaced by the 121 Motel closure received some additional help on Monday morning.
Wellcare, one of the state’s five Medicaid plans, purchased a couple hundred pieces of furniture from Beds for Kids, a Charlotte-based nonprofit — at a radically reduced rate — for the families.
All told, around $100,000 worth of furniture was donated — Wellcare paid a fifth of that for the whole package, said Beds for Kids Director of Operations Zach Smith. The organization takes donated furniture, refurbishes those pieces and donates them back into families who would normally have trouble affording furniture.
Though, usually they do so for Mecklenburg County — Vance County is quite a hike. The nonprofit doesn’t usually make deliveries so far away, but they’re good partners with Wellcare, said Smith.
“It was easy to work with Wellcare,” said Smith, “and we’re happy to see how much they care.”
Wellcare resolved to help the 121 Motel families when they were first moved to the temporary shelter some months ago, said Shaune Lancit, director of Community Engagement for Wellcare. Seven of the families were Wellcare beneficiaries.
“Those are our folks,” said Lancit. “They’re all our folks.”
Mayor Melissa Elliott lauded Lancit and Wellcare for fulfilling that promise.
On Monday, 21 families were served — including Ashleigh Alston, a single mother.
She had lived in the motel for a few months, she recalled — it was cheaper, at first, though quickly added up. Monday was the day she had finally been put into a new permanent residence — that, plus the free furnishings, made her “feel blessed, feel good,” she said.
The giveaway was solely for families who had been displaced by the motel’s closure — indeed, one family was turned away for not being in that group.
Dasha Stutson, one of the folks charged with finding housing for the families, described the task as a “blessing, to bless somebody else.”
Some landlords, though willing to rent to the families, were charging three month’s worth of rent on the security deposit. Some families had evictions on their record, or members had a criminal record — even so, they deserve a second chance, Stutson said.
All in all, the occasion was “amazing,” Elliott said.
As for 121 Motel, there are some zoning and code violations, said City Manager Terrell Blackmon — hotels aren’t necessarily zoned for long-term stays, which is the zoning issue.
It seems the ball is in owner Srini Potluri’s court — when the motel was first closed down, property manager Saleem Zafar indicated the plan was to remodel, bring the place back into compliance with city codes and then reopen.
There’s a chance they do so, and there’s a chance things don’t work out. It’s too early to say what the outcome will be.
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