CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Two weeks after WCNC Charlotte provided an update on residents at the maligned Lamplighter Inn, the city of Charlotte has confirmed it's shutting the motel down and helping neighbors find housing accommodations.
The city confirmed Friday it shared an update letter with the city council about what was happening. City staff said the inn will be closed on Dec. 11, affecting its 68 residents.
"City staff and community partners will start informing residents today of the closure and ensuring they understand how to access resources available to them through the city’s displacement protocol and community partners," part of the letter reads. "The city has been and will continue to work with its partners to relocate the impacted residents. Residents that have not initiated relocation assistance from the city’s partner agencies will be provided clear instructions for how to do so. Residents that are unable to relocate by Dec. 11 will be provided temporary housing at another hotel or referred to the county’s coordinated entry to connect to homelessness services."
The letter also said the inn's owner blocked access to the building for repairs to the boiler, leaving residents without hot water. Further, city staff said the owner has not cooperated with them and community partners.
City staff also shared the flyer that was given to Lamplighter Inn residents about how to get help.
The Lamplighter Inn was supposed to be home to a transitional housing nonprofit for neighbors in need. But as WCNC Charlotte found in July 2024, the promised "Vermelle's Place" program never materialized. Residents said they started getting suspicious after a few days of getting settled, and the hotel owner said he had no idea about a housing program and never worked with one before, only adding more confusion to the situation.
On top of the hotel's response at the time, the nonprofit behind the program said they are not connected to it.
Residents have faced numerous health and safety concerns, from water issues to retaliation. One resident said the card reader to activate room keys was taken away and that she and others had to either keep their doors open or break into their own rooms.
Resident Archie Hoskins said he paid $950 for rent at the beginning of November in the midst of the owner trying to kick people out. Hoskins said his key card works, but he has no hot water and sewage comes through his bathtub pipes.
"I think that we got a bad deal," Hoskins said.
The letter shared with the city council was also shared by city staff with WCNC Charlotte. It provided a timeline of recent events, starting on Oct. 31, 2024.
On that date, city staff said it activated its displacement protocol when the inn's owners became unresponsive and utilities were cut off. Crisis Assistance Ministry put utility services in its name to restore service and get on-site staff to help residents.
Residents were told Friday, Nov. 22 that all utilities would be disconnected on Dec. 11. The Charlotte Fire Department will close the inn that day and all residents need to leave at that time.
The letter notes the Lamplighter Inn had a code enforcement case open in all of its units, but they were first brought back up to compliance by 2023. However, the current situation that started at the end of October saw 21 new cases. Seven of those cases are in the civil penalty process, with the hotel facing more than $13,000 in civil penalties as of Nov. 20. A code enforcement hearing was held on Nov. 19, but no attendees were present.
The inn's owner was then ordered to achieve compliance by either making repairs or by demolition.
Other partners helping residents include the Housing Collaborative, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Action NC, and more.
Residents at the Lamplighter Inn aren't alone in their dilemma; tenants at the Tanglewood Apartments in Charlotte are facing sudden evictions as well after living with mold, roaches, and other health concerns. Neighbors told WCNC Charlotte that claims by the complex's owner they weren't paying rent were far from the truth.
Mayor Vi Lyles has tasked the Charlotte City Council’s housing committee to look into how the city could strengthen its code violation system in hopes of preventing situations like these.