The Beverly Motel, on 118th Avenue in Edmonton, has been there for decades — and her age is showing.
Guests will come stay for a night, but many guests will stay for many nights, or months.
The motel is home to Sheri Duncan and her three kids, but soon they will have to move out.
Around the end of November, a notice was issued to guests that the motel has new owners and renovations are needed to make the structure a safe and liveable space. All occupants need to leave by Dec. 20.
Duncan has lived at the motel for a year and now doesn’t know what to do.
“You think you matter, and your kids are comfortable —and then all of sudden, no one is comfortable,” Duncan said.
“It’s December, (my kids) should be counting down the days to Christmas — not counting down the days for a place to live.”
Duncan doesn’t know where they will be sleeping. She’s been applying for apartments but she said she hasn’t heard back and all are expensive.
She has also been on waitlists for affordable housing for 10 years.
Duncan is worried she may lose her kids.
“I fought for over two years to get them back, they have been home for three years, we called one year here home,” she said.
“They don’t want to go to school… Because they are scared that I am not going to be here, (when they get home).”
Duncan stresses with the cost of living and Christmas being days away, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.
“There’s nowhere else for us to go.”
Cloud Management director Mohamed Ahmed said in statement to Global News, the renovations are essential and are aimed at improving current living conditions, and also creating a more suitable environment for future occupants.
“This transformative effort addresses historical safety concerns, including a history of crimes, emphasizing the urgency of these improvements.”
“By significantly renovating the property, we aim to contribute positively to the neighbourhood and mitigate the risks associated with the property’s negative history. Our objective is to craft a space that leaves a lasting positive impact on the broader community improves the image of the area.”
The statement also said there is the prospect of the city to acquire the property in the near future through the National Housing Strategy federal funds allocated to addressing the housing shortage.
“Past instances of the city’s comparable actions, include the acquisition of Sands & Coliseum Inn that serve as precedents,” the statement reads.
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