Nearly a hundred homeless people and families staying at a Lansing hotel could be forced back onto the streets.
Management at the Magnuson Hotel sent out a letter on Monday saying residents and guests have to leave because the hotel is starting renovations. The letter says renovations start September 12 and everyone has to be out before then.
The nonprofit Homeless Angels runs a shelter out of the hotel, and tells us they didn't know this was coming.
Both residents and city officials say they were also caught off guard.
"To be in situations like this is not humane," said Lansing's Director, of Human Relations & Community Services Joan Jackson Johnson.
The city held an emergency meeting with both state and federal agencies Monday afternoon to talk short term housing options, which won't be easy with nearly 100 people getting kicked out of the hotel.
"The challenges that some of these individuals face, it's a huge challenge," Jackson Johnson said. "Trying to come up with the financial resources and support to enable us to move within this very short time period is just overwhelming."
Lansing's Mayor Virg Bernero is considering declaring a housing emergency which would put all the people forced to leave the Magnuson at the top of the public housing list. That would let the city get them into new homes more quickly.
Even if that happens, most of the city's public housing is full so officials are looking at other shelters and hotels that have space.
Mayor Bernero says the whole situation points at a bigger need.
"We need more quality affordable housing in Lansing," Bernero said. "People do not choose to live in squalor, people do not choose to live in a precarious situation, to be thrown out at any time and it's a darn shame that people have to live that way in Lansing or anywhere."
It's a situation Jeff Davis knows all too well. He's been living at the Magnuson for a little over a month and says he couldn't believe when he woke up this morning and found out he only has two weeks to move out.
"Might have no where to go," he said.
Davis has been living at the hotel rent free, thanks to the Homeless Angels.
"I have to do something before winter," Davis said. "This kind of sucks that, you know, that it all of a sudden happened kind of quickly, but we're hoping with God something will happen and we'll all be taken care of some way."
The hotel's on-site manager hung up on us after saying the Homeless Angels would help people move out. Guests won't be allowed inside during renovations and it's unclear if the homeless will be allowed back when the work is finished.
FOX 47 News is working to track down the hotel's owner to get answers.
