On Friday afternoon, Heather Hotchkiss, 55, her 87-year-old mother and 65-year-old disabled sister were told they had until Monday to leave their three-year residence — the OYO Hotel in Centralia.
The trio is one of around 57 families who live there, according to occupants. After her brother-in-law’s death, Hotchkiss and her sister couldn’t afford to pay for their Onalaska home.
“We had nowhere to go,” Hotchkiss said, adding their initial plan was to stay for only “a couple of weeks, until we could find something else. But we just can’t. Nothing that we can afford, anyway.”
Many other residents there are senior citizens, struggle with disabilities or fall into the income-restricted-but-employed category. A large percentage of the residents have pets, as the hotel was one of few to allow them locally. In a written notice on the lobby door posted Saturday, all were ordered to vacate the building by Monday night.
The OYO Hotel, at 702 Harrison Ave. in Centralia, was sold on Feb. 13. With such short notice on potential eviction after a sale most residents claimed to have no knowledge of, dozens gathered outside the building on Sunday to meet with staff from the Salvation Army.
Salvation Army Captain Gin Pack doled out packets defining their rights and contacts for legal aid.
“They were just told, ‘You have until Monday,’ which is totally not legal in any capacity,” said Pack.
State law dictates anyone staying in a hotel for more than 30 days can only be evicted after seven-day written notice clearly outlining resources for free legal aid by the Northwest Justice Center. Saturday’s notice included no such language. Those living at the OYO Hotel were never officially informed of any pending sale.
According to records available online, the former owner was Shivaji Investment LLC, which sold it to Centralia 86 LLC for $5,251,100 on Feb. 13, according to the Lewis County Parcels website, which can be viewed at https://parcels.lewiscountywa.gov/003416035009.
The Chronicle attempted to reach the previous owners. A person who answered the phone but did not identify themselves said that Shivaji Investment LLC had also been sold before hanging up on the call.
The website, https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_wa/604999299, states Centralia 86 LLC is owned by Sage Investment Group, the same group that purchased the Motel 6 in October to convert it into studio apartments.
But in an email to The Chronicle, Sage Co-owner Emily Hubbard stated, “Sage Investment Group did not buy this property.”
In additional Lewis County auditor documents obtained by The Chronicle, Absaroka North LLC, out of Wyoming, was a partner in the purchase, with Centralia 86 owning an undivided 71.6% interest in the property and Absaroka owning the remaining 28.4%.
The situation’s legality, or lack thereof, has done little to relax the hotel's long-term residents. After new key cards were recently reprogrammed, many fear the doors will lock on Monday. With anxiety around the potential of their belongings being locked inside, some said they’ve opted to keep their windows unlocked.
Among the people to voice their concerns over the weekend were a full-time working couple whose house had burned down; a family of five who have lived in one room with multiple pets since May of 2022; a single father of five sharing a room with his children and his girlfriend; and many others.
“It’s incredibly inhumane and unprofessional,” Hotchkiss said. “Whoever the new owners are, they didn’t have the balls to come down here and tell the residents in writing.”
With affordable housing hard to come by, many are facing homelessness and looking at either living in their cars or finding another hotel room to rent. For those with pets, finding suitable housing is even more challenging.
Seasonal construction worker and single father Quincy Burton has lived with his 14-year-old daughter and their emotional support animal in the OYO Hotel for nearly one year.
“I don’t know what we’re gonna do,” Burton said. “I hope everyone finds some place to go because everything that was open got taken up like two hours after we heard the hotel sold.”
Another family sent their three dogs to family and friends across the state while they look for a new place to live.
Kiale Deal, of Centralia, was at OYO on Saturday morning helping friends move belongings into storage units. One of those friends is now facing the possibility of living in her car while being on oxygen and utilizing a BiPap ventilator.
“This is just not right. All of these families have no place to go,” Deal said.
Over the weekend, these distraught residents joined dozens of others who shared their stories and worries for what was to come. Many residents also questioned the timing of the sale and notice to vacate the property coming at the beginning of President’s Day weekend, when it would be harder to access legal counsel. Likewise, the timing made their search for housing services more challenging, some said.
Hotchkiss and her family paid $375 per week in rent to reside at the OYO Hotel. At that, the previous owners provided as bare bones a staff and as few services as possible, residents said. The next best place Hotchkiss could find, she said, will charge her an additional $101 each week.
According to several residents, a single repairman was responsible for issues and renovation. He reportedly hadn’t been seen for around a month. Others reported black mold in multiple rooms and losing hot water for extended periods of time. There is only one laundry room for the entire hotel, with a single washing machine and one dryer in serious disrepair.
Of her 87-year-old mother, Hotchkiss said, “She shouldn’t have to live out the last years of her life like this.”
As for rent refunds, the notice taped on the hotel lobby’s locked front door simply stated residents could show up on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon to get their money back, a claim Hotchkiss doubted.
“We understand you bought the property,” said Hotchkiss. “It’s your property and you can do whatever you want, but where’s your humanity?”
In a visit to the hotel Sunday afternoon, Pack informed residents that she’d been in contact with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, per the advice of the Northwest Justice Center, to warn them of the situation and hopefully stave off evictions.
“We’re here because there’s no housing, our house burned down,” said Michele Davis, a 46-year-old resident. “We’re not homeless because we don’t have a job, we have a job and we work every day.”
Davis and her husband work full-time at American Behavioral Health Systems, an addiction treatment center in Chehalis. While some people had vacated their rooms by Saturday afternoon, Michele Davis was ready to fight to stay.
“I don’t know what will happen come Monday, but I will be here if the cops come,” Davis said, adding, “My receipt shows I paid and I am not leaving.”
Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston, who said she was informed of the situation by Pack, issued a statement to The Chronicle in an email.
“I’m very concerned. It appears that the new owners are using fear tactics to get people to move. Some people have lived there as long as 18 months. With a housing crisis across the country and right here in Centralia, this action appears to be devoid of empathy and care, with unacceptable communication and planning,” Smith Johnston said. “I am working with our city team to contact the owners and get this resolved. I’m grateful to the Salvation Army and Meja Handlen with the Lewis County Health Department for working over the weekend to get people information and support.”
For more information on the Northwest Justice Project, visit https://nwjustice.org/home.
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Photo Editor Jared Wenzelburger contributed to this report.
