Residents displaced in Miami apartment complex fire are stuck in hotels; commissioner says new housing is ready
MIAMI — Clementina Morales has been taking care of her 62-year-old mother Felicia Fernandez for the last month after she lost her home in a fire at Temple Court Apartments in Miami.
Morales said it hasn't been easy for her or her mother, who called the Temple Court Apartments home for 16 years and is now living at a Motel 6 in Doral. What she lost last month isn't replaceable.
"Old pictures of my grandmom that died, pictures of her and memories and tapes," Morales said. "It's irreplaceable."
Morales is wondering where her mom will go next.
Miami City Commission chair Christine King says the city has found affordable housing units in Overtown for displaced residents, and that they just need to get vouchers from HUD first.
"I am hoping to have them moved end of July, top of August because we have the units," King said.
CBS News Miami asked City Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela what plan B is.
"The backup plan is we gotta do what we gotta do. At least from my office," Gabela said.
A city official said 73 residents are still displaced and living in hotels.
A city of Miami spokesperson said the residents are in a Pass-Through Program with HUD. That means they pay a portion of their rent to the management company of their old apartment building, and that pays for their lodging in the hotel while they search for a permanent home.
They'll have those benefits until August 24, but they could be extended up to a year, according to city officials.
The city also said HUD and the apartment property manager are working on a contract for moving the residents to a new building, which could be ready as soon as August.
Police say 73-year-old Juan Francisco Figueroa started the fire at the Temple Court Apartments and left an employee in critical condition, according to investigators. Figueroa has been charged with attempted murder and first-degree arson.