BEMIDJI 鈥� With a lack of other options, community members have stepped up to help residents of Red Pine Estates pack up their belongings and prepare to leave their homes.
Volunteers arrived on site just one day after residents were first informed on June 30 that they had less than a week to vacate their units following an order by the city of Bemidji to vacate the building by 4 p.m. on July 6 as a response to structural concerns.
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Nearly all of the 47 residents, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s and rely on fixed incomes, were left in shock, wondering where they would be able to go and how they could move in such a short time frame.
With limited communication from the city or the owners of the property, located at 2590 Ridgeway Ave. NW, members of the community have taken matters into their own hands.
Volunteers have been helping residents pack their belongings, connecting them with resources and working to find them housing.
鈥淲e鈥檙e helping them pack, we鈥檙e helping them get all their stuff together, trying to line up storage,鈥� said Cindy Tesar, who organized the effort. 鈥淚 told (the residents) that I was going to do everything I could to help them.鈥�
Since the effort first began, it鈥檚 grown to try and meet the monumental task ahead of them. A Facebook page called was started to call for volunteers and donations, and local organizations and businesses began to get involved.
The Bemidji Eagles Club and Minnesota Nice Cafe have donated meals, and Blue Ox Storage has offered its units for residents to keep their belongings in while they try to find alternate housing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a really hard situation,鈥� said Justin Hoover, the owner of Blue Ox Storage. 鈥淲e just felt that we needed to try and help.鈥�
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Frustrations and needs
As community members rallied and organized, however, Tesar shared her frustration with Schuett Companies, who owns the apartments, and how it has handled the situation.
鈥淚鈥檓 discouraged. I feel like there鈥檚 a lot of lip service going on,鈥� Tesar said. 鈥�(Schuett Companies) wasn鈥檛 here over the entire weekend. They didn鈥檛 get here until Monday afternoon.鈥�
Residents have shared their inability to get in touch with the management company, and how it plans to support its tenants is unclear.
As volunteers try to find housing and coordinate hotel rooms for the tenants on such short notice, they don鈥檛 know for sure if Schuett will pay for the temporary accommodations or if residents will be responsible for financing their own hotel rooms as they look for permanent housing.
鈥淗ow can you drop this on your tenants and then, if you care about them, just go home?鈥� Tesar asked. 鈥淭he on-site manager wasn鈥檛 here at all. She wasn鈥檛 here talking to (residents), she wasn鈥檛 getting them any answers.鈥�
Tesar believes that the company has mishandled the situation from the beginning, starting with a lack of clear communication and an action plan when they first informed residents.
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鈥淏efore they ever met with these tenants they should have had a plan of action, they should have had it organized (so they could tell residents) 鈥楾his is what鈥檚 going on, this is where you鈥檙e going,鈥欌�� she explained. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the biggest fear: Where am I going?鈥�
According to volunteers, just over a third of the residents have an idea of where they are going after Thursday, the rest 鈥渉ave nothing.鈥�
Tesar expressed the urgency of the situation and the need for action to prevent similar crises from occurring in the future.
鈥淭his can never happen again, ever,鈥� Tesar said. 鈥淭he city needs to be diligent and actually go and inspect the buildings they鈥檙e saying are OK for people to live in, and they need to hold owners accountable if it's not and make them fix it. This is unacceptable.鈥�
The Rally for Red Pine organizers are asking for more volunteers on Thursday, July 6, to help residents move out before 4 p.m.
A was started on Tuesday to help raise funds, but the United Way of Bemidji Area has stepped in to help facilitate a local donation system free of fees so all of the money goes to those in need.
Starting Thursday morning, donations can be made by going to clicking 鈥淒onate鈥� and selecting the campaign for Red Pine.
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The funds raised will be used to make deposits on storage units, hotel rooms, food and whatever other needs become immediately apparent as the situation continues to unfold.
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