BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — Families staying at a motel in Cartersville find themselves up against the clock to find shelter after they were forced to leave because of safety concerns.
The families living at the Bugetel Motel said they are scrambling to find a place to go, now that management has given them less than 24 hours to clear out of their rooms.
But it's not going to be easy. Many don't have the money to find a new home.
"I have no family willing to help or nothing," one resident told 11Alive.
The surprise notice came after the Bartow County Health Department condemned the entire complex, saying it's neither safe nor up to code.
11Alive's Ron Jones went to the motel where 33 sets of low income families and retired senior citizens live.
The contractor told 11Alive it's not possible for families to stay there while he works to try and right the violations.
"There's really nothing they can do, right?" 11Alive asked.
"The families have to go," answered Don Liotta.
The total cost for the upgrades comes with a steep price tag - $700,000 total, which the owner of the motel, Trisha Brater, is scrambling to find. She told 11Alive she just learned herself of the eviction order, Tuesday.
"Did you know that this was going to transpire, that these families were going to have to move out?" 11Alive asked Brater.
"I was praying not. No, I didn't know until today," she said.
Photos: Cartersville motel shutting down, leaving families scrambling
Brater said she and staff are reaching out to churches and non-profits to try and help the families who live there - some for as many as 10 years - find temporary housing.
"I watch these babies - many of them - grow up for the past 11 years," Brater said.
But some wonder whether enough can be done in time.
"They're going to be out here on the streets or in foster care," one teen worried.
The Georgia Department of Family and Child Services has already spoken with some of the families, but there's no word on what's next for the children.
Meanwhile, Liotta is confident that at least some of the upgrades will be complete.
"I believe we can get at least one building up in two months," he said.
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