CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dozens of seniors are breathing a sigh of relief this week after a long, tumultuous year.
Last Christmas, about 85 residents at the Magnolia Senior Apartments in north Charlotte were displaced after a pipe burst in their building. For the last 11 months, many of them have been living in hotels. Now, they’re finally moving back home.
A handful of the tenants moved back into their units over the summer because they were on the first floor and not damaged. The rest, which according to Champion House of Care is more than 30 people, get to come back now that repairs are done.
About 15 of the remaining seniors have been staying in a Huntersville hotel for the last four months. After jumping around from hotel to hotel all year, they’re excited to settle back into their homes for good.
Bettie Roddey told WCNC Charlotte she is packed up and ready to move out of her third and final hotel room of the year. She got the news Monday that she can come back home.
"I jumped sky high, I hurt my hip and everything, I’m ready girl," Roddey told WCNC Charlotte reporter Julia Kauffman.
Roddey reflected on the past year, saying it's been very tough but she's made it through, thanks to God.
"It’s been bad," she said. "I done had two strokes since I’ve been here."
Magnolia tenants were under constant stress, unsure if they’d end up on the street while waiting for the damage to be fixed.
"I was scared, I really was," Roddey added.
It's also been a long road for Hubert Flim, who is also now back in his safe haven, his home for over three years.
“I've got a lot of unpacking to do, but I think I can manage because I'm home,” Flim said with laughter. "It feels like a brand new place because we have not been here 10, 11 months and so when I put that key in and turned it, heard click, home again.”
For months, Flim lived in hotels and with family. He even went through a period of living separately from his wife.
“There were times when I had my doubts,” said Flim. “My wife… she said you can't give up you have to keep the faith.”
With a huge burden now off his shoulders, Flim is back on familiar grounds walking in his neighborhood, a little lighter.
“The year, it started rough but by the grace of God... it is getting better,” Flim said.
Nonprofits like Champion House of Care, led by Janette Kinard and the City of Charlotte, stepped in to help. They made sure everyone had food, essentials like clothing and medication, and rent assistance.
"Our goal was to make sure nobody was homeless and we made it," Kinard said with a big smile.
Kinard said she had weekly Zoom calls with the apartment owners and with groups helping the seniors, all to figure out how they could get them back into their units as soon as possible.
"When I got that call, well that email, on Monday that we don't need to have a Zoom call, they are going in, I emailed them back and I said 'This feels like Christmas,'" Kinard said. "This felt like a Christmas present to me, okay?"
Now Roddey is ready to say goodbye to hotels for good and happy to be back home just in time for the holidays.
"I know I’m gonna try to cook Thanksgiving dinner myself," Roddey said.
While the residents are happy, many of them still need help. Kinard said 17 seniors need furniture after losing all of theirs to flood damage. She said anyone wishing to help can donate gently used or new furniture, or they can make a monetary donation on her organization's website. If someone would like to sponsor a senior, Kinard says to reach her at championhouseofcare@gmail.com.
Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.