BELLEFONTE, CENTRE COUNTY - The shelter housing 16 of the 27 displaced residents who lost their homes to the Hotel Do De fire in Bellefonte closed Wednesday.
Douglas Davis is packing what's left of his belongings after the Hotel Do De fire and preparing to move out.
"This was their family. In addition to losing their homes and all their possessions, they lost their families," Red Cross Coordinator Romayne Naylor said.
For the past week, Davis and 15 others have called the Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Bellefonte home.
"The residents here have lost something very valuable to them and we are doing the best that we can to meet those needs," Naylor said.
But now, finding somewhere else to go that meets these folks work and financial needs is something Naylor says has been difficult.
"Finding something affordable and sustainable for these folks has been quite a huge effort," she said.
Making things worse is the recent closure of the two State College Mobile Home Parks, also displacing low-income families.
"Several of the residents of the Hotel wanted to stay in Bellefonte to live and we just have some limited stock right now to provide that," Director of Human Services for Centre County, Natalie Corman said.
Corman says one resident will be moving to Centre House Homeless Shelter in State College, and many others are also being forced out of the Bellefonte area.
"Some are looking out of county, some are looking in the State College area to move to," she said.
Chris Kundiff is one of those people having to move to State College.
"Now I'm just going to rebuild and begin a new life. Starting fresh," Kundiff said.
But starting fresh means leaving some familiar faces behind, something he says will be hard for many members of the Hotel Do De family.
"You were with your second family here," he said. "I knew these guys for the last six or seven months."
Some of the residents will be staying in temporary housing for the coming months until permanent housing situations are found.
Douglas Davis is packing what's left of his belongings after the Hotel Do De fire and preparing to move out.
"This was their family. In addition to losing their homes and all their possessions, they lost their families," Red Cross Coordinator Romayne Naylor said.
For the past week, Davis and 15 others have called the Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Bellefonte home.
"The residents here have lost something very valuable to them and we are doing the best that we can to meet those needs," Naylor said.
But now, finding somewhere else to go that meets these folks work and financial needs is something Naylor says has been difficult.
"Finding something affordable and sustainable for these folks has been quite a huge effort," she said.
Making things worse is the recent closure of the two State College Mobile Home Parks, also displacing low-income families.
"Several of the residents of the Hotel wanted to stay in Bellefonte to live and we just have some limited stock right now to provide that," Director of Human Services for Centre County, Natalie Corman said.
Corman says one resident will be moving to Centre House Homeless Shelter in State College, and many others are also being forced out of the Bellefonte area.
"Some are looking out of county, some are looking in the State College area to move to," she said.
Chris Kundiff is one of those people having to move to State College.
"Now I'm just going to rebuild and begin a new life. Starting fresh," Kundiff said.
But starting fresh means leaving some familiar faces behind, something he says will be hard for many members of the Hotel Do De family.
"You were with your second family here," he said. "I knew these guys for the last six or seven months."
Some of the residents will be staying in temporary housing for the coming months until permanent housing situations are found.
