In May of this year, according to Loren Bymer, director of marketing and communications with the City of Fayetteville, the city had received numerous reports of an unregulated transitional housing program at the Regency Inn, hosting over 100 medically vulnerable individuals and families without any formal oversight or code compliance. Upon further investigation, Public Safety and Compliance Findings determined there was an elevated risk for residents who were currently living at the Regency Inn in Fayetteville.
- 29 police calls and nine fire-medical responses since April 1.
- Unregulated congregate feeding, improper furnishings, and zoning violations
- Multiple Building and Fire Code violations were noted, making the building unsafe
- Immediate concerns included life-safety hazards, fire code violations, and building deficiencies.
On May 29, a full regulatory walk-through of the Regency Inn was led by the Fire Marshal, a building official, Code Enforcement, and Zoning. “There were blatant code and fire violations,” said Bymer. “The posting of the violations took place, and the owner was given 24 hours to fix the existing problems or the building would be deemed uninhabitable, and those using the Inn as their residence would be required to leave. We immediately began contacting local nonprofits to make them aware of the situation so we wouldn’t just be kicking those folks out on the street. The owner did not comply within the 24-hour window, and the Inn was deemed uninhabitable.”
Liaisons Community Care, a dedicated mental health agency out of Durham, has been actively involved in the Fayetteville area, awaiting state licensure to provide Substance Abuse Comprehensive Outpatient Treatment (SACOT) service. “During our current outreach, we became aware of the urgent situation where dozens of individuals were facing immediate eviction from the Regency Inn, with only 24 hours’ notice, due to the city-ordered closure for building code violations,” said Francina Steele, founder and director of Liaisons Community Care. “In response, we convened an emergency leadership meeting and unanimously decided to utilize our internal crisis funding to assist those affected.”
Agency staff and leadership immediately mobilized to the Regency Inn to conduct on-site mental health evaluations, provide clinical assessments, and make timely referrals. However, as the situation quickly worsened, the calls for help from parents with children aged six months to 17 years began pouring in. “We recognized the need for urgent, life-saving action, and responded immediately.”…