MUNCIE, Ind.--- Last month, the Muncie Inn was deemed unsafe and its residents were told to leave. The unsafe conditions of the motel were detailed on an order posted to the office door. Those conditions read:

• Fire hazard

• Hazard to public health/meth

• Public nuisance

• Dangerous due to violation

Muncie Inn may have just been an overnight stay for some, but to others, it was their livelihood and home. However, residents didn’t necessarily describe their living conditions as ideal.

Former resident and overnight manager Barry Stevens said "there were roaches, there were bedbugs, there were mice.”

Apart from uninvited critters, former resident Charles Dickinson said the motel also had issues with water and mold.

“It should’ve been shut down years ago. We used to live there. Like I said, my son-in-law is deathly allergic to mold and we literally had to have people drag the fridge out of my daughter’s room because it was full of mold," Dickinson said.

With residents now in need of shelter and food, local organizations have stepped up.

The Muncie Folk Collective told NewsLink Indiana they have helped put together housing plans, raised money for future rent, collected food and clothes, and built relationships with the residents.

While residents try settling into their new lives, they have not given up hope about returning to better conditions.

“The Muncie Inn, if they reopen it, hopefully, they reopen it better, and manage it better, and provide everyone with what they need,” Dickinson said.

With a construction permit issued earlier this week, the owner of Muncie Inn told NewsLink Indiana he anticipates it reopening within the next few weeks.

Contact Sophie Schick with comments at sophie.schick@bsu.edu

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