Imagine staying at a downtown Louisville hotel for only 30 cents a month.
More than 80 homeless men, women and children are staying there right now at the Hotel Louisville for that rate.
The fourth and sixth floors of Hotel Louisville are reserved for homeless families.
They're called economy suites and guests pay one penny per night for a 30 day maximum stay.
Nina Moseley with Wayside Christian Mission says executive suites on the ninth and tenth floors run $129 a night.
In September, Moseley says they applied with Metro Planning and Design Services to operate the hotel as a shelter, but it took too long.
Tom Owen, Metro Councilman and Chair of Planning and Design, says Moseley jumped the gun. He adds that there is a task force in place to deal with zoning issues regarding large homeless shelters. He would have liked for the mission to wait for a plan in the coming weeks.
However, Moseley argues there are no code violations, operating as a hotel to help the homeless.
Moseley said, “It’s real that someone would freeze to death so we wanted homeless men, women and children to have a warm play to stay and get off the street. We applied with planning and zoning and waited for a letter for eight weeks. That’s too long.”
Monica Robinson is a mother who’s staying at the Hotel Louisville. Robinson became homeless after being laid off as a furniture finisher several months ago. She can only find low-paying work to support her family. Robinson is one of 83 homeless people staying at the hotel.
Robinson says, “They should spend a day in our shoes and see what it’s like.”
Moseley says she hopes Hotel Louisville will be allowed to open into a full-fledge homeless shelter by this holiday season.
