Nonprofit Adapts Motel for Transitional Housing

Families experiencing homelessness are finding refuge in a readapted motel off Sugar Creek Road and I-85.

Why it matters: Repurposing motels can be an impactful and relatively cheap way to create much-needed affordable and transitional housing.

• Low-income families often get stuck spending hundreds per week living in motels, struggling to save enough for permanent housing.

Driving the news: Heal Charlotte received a $2.25 million grant from the city to help master lease the former Baymont Inn on Equipment Drive. The nonprofit will house up to 100 families in the motel, which was renovated in 2019.

• Families in the program have to have a source of income and children with them. There are 60 rooms for $750 a month, for up to six month stays, and free emergency rooms for 90 to 120 days.

Zoom in: The families are coming to Heal Charlotte from shelters, cars, bathrooms and 7-Elevens, says Greg Jackson, founder of Heal Charlotte.

• "I'm getting calls from a lot of people that are just in different situations," he adds. "You'd be amazed how people are making it and where they're making it from."

See Inside The Motel
Photo: Alexandria Sands/Axios