When Natasha Perry learned of Vermelle’s Place, it felt like a place she could call home and focus on recovering from homelessness and health problems — all at a price she could afford.
She had been living in her car and homeless shelters for over a year.
Vermelle’s Place was billed as temporary supportive housing at a renovated former hotel that cost $650 monthly and included, among other things, on-site health services, counselors and a housing specialist.
But that’s not what Perry found after she moved in to the hotel near I-85 in northwest Charlotte.
Instead, Perry and five other residents who spoke with the Observer discovered their rooms had poor plumbing, leaking ceilings, cockroaches and water they didn’t feel comfortable drinking.
Their rent was $975 per month, not $650, and none of the programs they expected were available.
When they raised concerns, they received confusing answers from the people in charge. The tenants were left wondering who they were supposed to pay rent to each month, where else they might go and, perhaps most importantly, what happened?