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Bronx Fire Victims Can Remain In Hotels Through The End Of The Month
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 2, 2022
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Alex Kent for WNYC/Gothamist
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Feb 2, 2022
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More than 200 residents of the Bronx high-rise who were displaced by last month’s deadly fire can remain in hotels for another month as they search for new places to live, WNYC/Gothamist has learned.
In the aftermath of the historic January 9th blaze, many survivors have remained in hotel rooms paid for by the city and the building’s owners. Those accommodations were set to expire on February 7th, a deadline that provoked dread for many displaced tenants who said they could not imagine returning back to the site of the deadly fire.
Ines Bebea, a spokesperson for the city's Office of Emergency Management, said Wednesday the city was finalizing the extension and would "begin contacting the tenants directly"
A spokesperson for the building owners – a consortium of three companies that were buying up affordable housing in the Bronx – confirmed they would continue to help pay for hotels until the end of the month.
The hotels, currently housing 161 adults and 57 children, have served as an ad hoc grieving space for families who lost loved ones. At the Alden Hotel on Webster Avenue, flyers about relocation assistance line the walls, and residents use a shared microwave to heat up daily meals provided by aid groups.
While the conditions are not ideal, many said it was a better alternative to returning to the tower where 17 of their neighbors died last month.
“A lot of people have a lot of trauma,” said Tatiana Strahn, a 28-year-old former resident living in a hotel room with her two children. “People just don't want to go back, regardless of whether your apartment is livable.”
The spokesperson for the building’s owners, James Yolles, said residents would be provided with relocation assistance regardless of whether their homes were directly affected by the fire. He described the high-rise as fully functional, aside from the floor where the fire took place.
A spokesperson for the Housing and Preservation Department said that vacate orders in the building have been rescinded for all but 14 apartments on the floor where the fire was started.
While some residents described a sense of relief at knowing they will not be evicted next week, others said they were confused by the lack of communication from the city and the building’s owners.
“I've been waiting on them to say something. But no one has heard anything,” said Ken Otisi, a building resident staying at the Alden Hotel on Webster Avenue, on Wednesday. “I'm an easy-going guy, as long as they're working I'll wait. I just need transparency.”
Tagged
housing
bronx
Tremont Fire
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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