Time's up for former Budgetel Inn residents as funds run out to help support them

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As of Wednesday, the help given to evicted residents of the Budgetel extended stay motel in East Ridge has now expired.

While some residents were placed in permanent housing or another motel, others told us on Wednesday they have nowhere to go.

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition (CRHC) says they are low on funds and had to push former Budgetel residents into long term solutions.

Director of Community Engagement for the CRHC Mackenzie Kelly spoke with us about her organization's challenges.

"We needed to start pushing towards some long term solutions because our funding source was running low," says Kelly.

We have kept the public updated in past stories about what the next steps are for former Budgetel Inn residents.

Kelly says there are about 73 households left in motels, but they are consistently trying to help residents to find permanent housing.

"Some folks that are able to self-pay, we just helped move them to places with lower rates so they can start paying there," says Kelly.

Kelly says for others ,they paid for their motel for another week while they get their housing plans in order.

For the ones who fit neither of those categories, they were told they had to leave Wednesday.

Unfortunately for those like Sarah Barrett, they don't know where to go to next.

Barrett lived at the Budgetel Inn with two other family members for about three months before they were told to leave.

Barrett tells us just two months ago she had a stroke causing her mobility to be very limited.

She tells us the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition helped find her permanent housing, but it had stairs, so she is forced to wait for another housing option to open up.

The Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition did try to place her and her family into another motel but it wasn't in their budget.

"They told us it would be $300 to $400 a week. We aren't able to pay that on a fixed income," says Barrett.

Barrett says now her only option is to wait.

"I don't know what to do, I feel like giving up," says Barrett.

Depend on us to keep you posted as we continue to tell these former Budgetel residents' stories.