The Red Cross of Southwest Michigan continues to provide a shelter in St. Joseph for residents displaced by a Saturday motel fire. The Cosmo Extended Stay Motel on M-139 in Sodus Township was evacuated due to the deadly blaze, leaving many residents with nowhere to go. Breeze Ettl with the Red Cross tells WSJM News they were devastated.
“These are folks that really started out with very little, and now they really have nothing,” Ettl said.
Ettl told us Tuesday St. Joseph Public Schools is allowing the Red Cross to put those residents up at Upton Middle School. It opened the shelter right after the fire.
“Since then, we have had 27 people registered to be at that shelter and the population fluctuates between 15, and last night, we had 20 people staying at that shelter,” Ettl said.
They’re staying in the gymnasium and some hall areas while the Red Cross uses classrooms to sign them up for assistance from agencies including the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the United Way. Ettl says the first need is affordable housing and clothing for many. You can help by donating money to the Red Cross or dropping off care items at the Six Degrees Resale Shop or with Mosaic CCDA in Benton Harbor. Ettl says the Red Cross will keep the shelter open as long as it’s needed.
