Second motel in Flagstaff to be converted into homeless shelter

FLAGSTAFF, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Thanks to a nonprofit, a second motel in Flagstaff is being converted into a homeless shelter to help with the housing crisis. Flagstaff Shelter Services just finalized buying the Motel 6 on Lucky Lane for $8.95 million. It used money from the Arizona Department of Housing, which got the money through the American Rescue Plan Act. “This acquisition means continued growth and commitment to solutions that truly solving homelessness and the lack of housing in northern Arizona,” FSS director Ross Schaefer said in a statement. The purchase comes a year after FSS bought the Crown Motel and turned it into a shelter.

Once completed, the motel-turned-shelter is expected to provide 103 rooms for people and meet other needs, like providing meals and medical care. Schaefer tells Arizona’s Family a room means independence and privacy, which can make a major difference in a person’s life. “People just do better when they have a home and a roof over their head and a private space to get rest. And so once we made it through kind of the first year of COVID, it became something we really wanted to do to try and move into that space in a town where affordable housing is an actual emergency crisis,” said Schaefer.

The motel will be a short-term shelter to start out, but eventually, it’ll turn into a permanent transitional housing site.

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