Displaced Eatonville Hometown Suites Motel Residents Find Temporary Housing
Monday, February 3, 2014
By: Carmel Delshad

February 3, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando- Orange County officials are trying to find a permanent fix for residents of the condemned Hometown Suites Motel in Eatonville. As 90.7's Carmel Delshad reports, residents were given a place to stay over the weekend, after they were evicted from the condemned motel last Friday.

A sign hangs in front of the gate blocking the Hometown Suites Motel in Eatonville. Photo:  Carmel Delshad | WMFE

Six families, 12 adults and 12 children under the age of 4, stayed at a Rosen hotel over the weekend.

The families will be housed in temporary efficiency apartments for the next few days, paid for by a county program, says Lisa Nason of the Orange County Mayor’s Office.

“From today they will have a solid week in this transitional housing, and our staff will continue to work with them to provide a longer term solution. By the end of this week, we should be well organized,” says Nason.

Nason says the county is looking for housing that doesn’t bar these families from renting. Many of them were paying $600 to $800 a month for rent in the long-term stay motel, but traditional apartment complexes often require security deposits and credit checks that lower income families simply can’t afford.

The Hometown Suites motel owners say they have until February 28^th to repair the building before it can open again.