On Sept. 7, around 20 Fairfield Manor East residents received an order to vacate the building after the Kingston Fire Department deemed the building unsafe.
Many families and residents rushed to move their belongings out of their rooms and into family members’ vehicles.
Since then, the building has been locked and all of the belongings that remained could not be accessed until today, said the families.
“I came back to the manor to get the rest of my grandmother’s stuff because she doesn’t have much and she was worried she would never see a few cherished items again,” said Collin McQueen.
Former manor resident, David Payne, drives his own vehicle and told Global News he has put all furniture and clothing into his backseat and trunk of his car and has yet to find a permanent residence.
Payne says he accepted a stranger’s offer of a room in their house but says he does not want to be a burden to a family.
The owner of Fairfield Manor East, Muhammad Quasi, arrived shortly after 12:40 p.m. on Thursday to open the doors and refused to comment.
Many families at the manor told Global News that their loved ones have been moved into permanent residences in various communities across Ontario.