Drake Hotel Fire Victims Transfer To New Shelters With Longer Stays
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The displaced families and people from the Christmas morning Drake Hotel fire moved to new shelters on Saturday.
The families with young children who were staying at the Drake Hotel, as part of the overflow homeless shelter relief, were moved to an extended stay hotel in Bloomington by Hennepin County.
Meanwhile, the permanent residents of the Drake Hotel, who paid rent there, were moved to the First Covenant Church for a two-week stay with shower access.
This transfer was possible because of the generous donations by Minnesotans.
Since the fire, people from all over have been donating to the Minneapolis Foundation which has raised $278,000 so far.
The foundation approved a $40,000 grant to set up the two-week church shelter for the displaced people who are not covered by the county.
One couple staying at the shelter is Bobby Fairley and Nyasha Morgan. They lost everything in the fire, but continue to have positive outlooks on their situation.
"With the two weeks here, I'm trying to make the best of the best that we have," Fairley said.
"The emotional support I think has been the best for us because we're down right now, we're feeling down, and to know someone has our backs that's just wonderful," Morgan said.
The Vikings Foundation surprised the people staying at the First Covenant Church on Saturday by bringing by a food truck and offering up free hot chili.
Over the coming days, case workers with Red Cross and Hennepin County will work with individuals to assess needs and find long term recovery solutions. Money donations are still needed. If you want to donate, click here.