No place to go: Tenants look for answers as Eureka looks to close another Squires’ property

EUREKA – News Channel 3 talks to tenants with no place to go as the City of Eureka plans to board up another property owned by Floyd and Betty Squires.
Tenant Lisa Smith described the situation in stark terms. “If we become homeless, we will die,” Smith said.
Lisa and Craig Smith moved in to 833 H Street last July. The couple was already relocated when they lived at the Budget Motel after years of being homeless.
The Smiths say they lost everything, and were just starting to rebuild when they received word that the City of Eureka was vacating residents citing an imminent threat to public health and safety.
Now they’re not sure where they’ll go.
Craig has kidney cancer and both rely on medical devices that require electricity. Even beyond life and death, the couple is also concerned what their quality of life will be.
Craig is a musician and wondered if he’ll get to play bass again before he dies.
Lisa said the building’s problems have been ongoing and she doesn’t understand why the city is closing it now.
“Now they say pack what you need and leave. Well how do I breathe at night? We use that nebulizer between the two of us, ten times a day. Where do we plug in to at a tent?,” Lisa Smith asked.
Craig Smith added, “We don’t want to lose everything we’ve got again. You work hard for the little bit you got. You’d kind of like to keep it. And the way the city and Squires are, they put us right back to square one.”
Attempts to reach the Squires for comment were unsuccessful.
The city says it will do what it can to help tenants like Lisa and Craig find a place to stay when they board up the building Monday.

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