Dr. Joan Jackson Johnson works for the City of Lansing and is trying to find new homes for the nearly 100 homeless people living in the Magnuson Hotel.
"I want to wake up tomorrow and say, 'Wow, we really did it as a community.' But right now, I'm not sleeping much, I'm sweating bullets because something needs to happen for the health and well-being of those that are there," Jackson Johnson said.
While she works, she says the people should be allowed to stay there, and she has a court order to back her up.
"The judge said, my understanding of what the judge said, is business will continue as usual. If they were working for the Magnuson they should continue with that arrangement," she said.
But Mike Karl, who runs the Homeless Angels, says he heard many of the people working in exchange for a place to stay were told Wednesday they no longer had a job.
"I immediately messaged the General Manager and the city, let the city know. that this was going on and I let the general manager know that these people need time to move," Karl said.
He says he didn't hear back from management, but they didn't put anyone out.
"The city of Lansing is not saying to this landlord to let people stay here for free, there are arrangements in place," Jackson Johnson said of the agreement to let people live there in exchange for work.
The Magnuson released a statement saying the court ruled that people would have to continue to pay for their rooms, it posted a notice Tuesday to remind people that was the case.
