“If you don’t have a cushion of savings,” Bete said, “what do you do?”
Bete and St. Mary's Development are asking for donations to help those who were displaced by the fire. Bete sent out a letter soliciting donations. The best way to make a donation is via the St. Mary website, Bete said. Natalynne Baker, director of resident services for St. Mary's, said the best way to help the residents of Marvin Gardens is to donate a gift card or money.
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“We want to make sure that when they get back on their feet, they are not worse off than they were before,” Bete said.
Nearly two dozen people were displaced by the fire in late October, which affected all 25 units in the apartment building. Some units had damage from the fire or smoke, others sustained water damage.
No one was injured in the fire, but a few residents lost everything. Many residents do not yet have a timeline for when they could be back in their apartment, Bete said. No one is living in the apartment as of right now.
“We are working with the city, but there is a lot of damage and everything has to be inspected and permitted,” he said. “This is not a quick process.”
The Dayton Convention Center was open to residents for two nights, Bete said.
Most of the housing St. Mary’s manages is for seniors, but only about half of the people who lived in the Marvin Garden apartments are seniors on fixed incomes, Bete said.
Nearly half, 11 out of 24, are veterans and many are young people just at the beginning of their career.
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Because many residents are veterans, they have found temporary housing with the Volunteers of America transitional housing on the Vetterans Affairs Medical Center Campus, Baker said.
One of the residents has been rehoused in another property that St. Mary’s operates. Many others are temporarily staying with family or friends, according to Baker.
Bete said St. Mary Development works with partners, like St. Vincent De Paul, to help residents replace things like furniture and clothing.
Affordable housing is hard to come by, Baker said, so losing this option temporarily puts a strain on that need.
“A lot of us are blessed with the resources that when we hit a bump in the road, we can get through it on our own or with the help of our family,” Bete said. “These people can’t. We have to be their family and help them get through this bump in the road.”
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