Economy Inn residents seek answers on motel condemnation

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Hotel residents and Greenville activists want answers to why they weren't given time to find new housing before the county condemned the Economy Inn on Augusta Road. Nathaniel Cary/STAFF

Some community groups are calling for answers after about 150 residents of an Augusta Road motel were displaced last week when the structure was condemned.

During a news conference Monday morning at Nicholtown Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, some leaders questioned why residents of the Economy Inn weren't given longer to move out or given advance notice the motel would be condemned.

The approximately 21-hour window residents had to find a new place to stay was “not fair,” said Traci Fant, an activist with Freedom Fighters Upstate SC.

“We understand that the conditions of the hotel were bad, but we can’t be the people that put women and children out on the street,” she said.

More: Condemned Economy Inn leaves residents in crisis. 'How do we live?' one asks

More: Economy Inn had been site of deaths, complaints before condemnation

Greenville County spokesman Bob Mihalic did not immediately respond to questions Monday on why Economy Inn residents weren't given more time to move out, and no Greenville County officials were present at the news conference.

More: Press conference held to address issues after Economy Inn is condemned

Ennis Fant, Greenville County councilman for District 25, which includes the Economy Inn, acknowledged that he wished residents had been given more time to move out, but said he doesn’t blame county officials for the quick deadline.

The good thing, he said, was that the situation had “shined a light on a problem that’s been going on for awhile.”

“There’s the silver lining, now we have to be proactive,” he said.

He said he will work on introducing a county ordinance that would require motel inspections once a year. He said he also plans to talk to the county planning department about regulations to prevent motels from being used as apartments.

Several of the motel’s former residents appeared with Traci Fant at the news conference. Martreal Gilchrist, Jaime Ciancarelli and Thomas Smith have all been staying at the church and sleeping on cots while they look for something more permanent.

But that's exactly the problem, Traci Fant said — there aren’t enough affordable housing options on the market, which is why people were living in the motel to begin with.

More: Families left in search of shelter after Economy Inn is condemned

She and other community activists who are helping the former Economy Inn residents accused the county of overlooking the housing needs of the area’s lower income population.

“Nobody chooses to live in a hotel,” said Tabatha Crawford, who runs the small nonprofit Single Parents In Need (SPIN) and has been helping residents try to find shelter. “The choice is made for you (by county development decisions).”

Crawford predicted more motels like the Economy Inn will be condemned within the next 90 days.

Fant called for more “transparency” and communication from county officials on any condemnation decisions in the future.

“We must be brought to the table,” she said.