Leaning against the motel balcony, Seth Houston overlooked the van he’s had to sleep nights in with his wife, three sons and niece.
After a year of living on the road, moving couch to couch, Houston and his family moved to the OU Motel in mid-December.
But due to an eviction notice, Houston has just a week left to leave the motel, leaving him contemplating where he and his family might relocate to. While many residents have been approved for new living situations, Houston and his family are still working with OU Motel employees to determine a new place to live.
“Shit,” Houston said. “We don’t know what we’re gonna do.”
‘There were so many corners cut’
OU Motel residents received eviction notices on Jan. 1, giving them 30 days to find new places to live, after the property was purchased by Terry Moore, president of the Garrett Moore Company.
“We have struggled with this decision, but it is our only option,” the eviction notice read.
The Garrett Moore Company, based in Dallas, plans to develop a high-density student housing complex called The Resort. Moore said The Resort will have 600 beds, and amenities including a lazy river, rooftop pool and retail stores, pending Norman City Council’s approval of the plan.
The OU Motel first opened in October 1949 as a traditional motel for visitors. Over 75 years later, the motel is now known for being one of the most affordable places to live in Norman.
An OU Motel employee, who requested to remain anonymous, said Moore bought the property for $4 million. The Cleveland County Assessor values the property at $650,000.
Moore did not want to disclose how much he bought the property for out of respect to the seller, but said the $4 million price tag was “close.”
OU Motel on March 3, 2023.
Another OU Motel employee, who requested to remain anonymous, told OU Daily the property is owned by two sisters, one in Houston and the other in New York, who have never seen it in person or provided resources to run the complex well.
“They wouldn't give us the sources and the funds to keep this place running, like they just didn't care,” the employees said. “There were so many corners cut. … They're a bunch of slum lords.”
Another anonymous OU Motel employee said the complex has “deteriorated” and the sisters have been wanting to sell it for 20 years.
Due to threats from residents angry about leaving, the motel lobby is no longer open all day, the employee said. Residents don’t understand that the motel’s closure also affects staff who live at the motel, the employee said.
“Not only are we losing our income, but we're losing our house, so we're losing two in one,” the employee said. “And you have to have an income in order to get another residence. You have to have work history. So it's kind of a catch-22.”
‘It’s hard to get back on your feet’
In Sept. 2022, Houston became sick from kidney stones for two-and-a-half months, eventually losing his job at Johnson Controls and being evicted from his home.
Houston said he has faced difficulty getting approved for new locations due to low income and unemployment, which is also impacted by his status as a felon.
“It's been rough, and then this popping up. … It’s made it even worse,” Houston said.
Despite his difficulties, Houston said he is fueled by persistence and the desire for a fresh start, citing his 17-year prison sentence.
“It's hard to get back on your feet,” Houston said. “Just always remember, positive energy breeds positive shit, (but) it's kind of hard whenever you get kicked in the teeth every time you take a step forward.”
Stacey Mathews, who formerly worked OU Motel’s front desk, said the motel struggled under its absent owner and previous management.
“Trying to get anything out of (the owner) was like pulling teeth. … It was home, it just wasn’t what it used to be,” Mathews said.
Mathews lived at the motel with her mom for nine years. Mathew’s mother passed away last year. Mathews found out she and a couple next door were approved to move into an apartment at the Overlook the day OU Daily spoke with her.
“This place was salvation for my mom and me,” Mathews said. “We just planned on staying in Norman, and we made some of the best friends we’ve ever had here. I mean, we’re a family.”
Mathews said she was glad they have a place to live, but was worried people might judge them if they found out she used to live at the motel. On the day OU Daily interviewed Mathews, she found out Norman nonprofit Food and Shelter will help pay for her new apartment’s deposit.
“I'm very grateful today,” Mathews said. “This has been a long journey.”
Mathews, along with the other tenants of the OU Motel, have faced fallout from the property’s sale. Though Mathews has found a place to live, some are still uncertain of where to go.
‘This ain’t much, but it’s home’
Paul Durbin has lived at the OU Motel for eight years, where he said he expected to retire and eventually die. As OU Daily reporters spoke with Durbin at his front door, he requested to sit down due to his knee problems.
“This ain't much, but it's home. I'm just a crippled old man looking for a place to live,” Durbin said. “It ain't much, but it's a roof over your head, a place to lay down, sleep. But it's a hell of a lot more than what some people got.”
OU Motel resident Paul Durbin on Jan. 23.
Originally from Illinois, Durbin moved to Oklahoma over 40 years ago to work in the oil fields. He said he has experienced homelessness before, having lived under a bridge for three months in 1981. Durbin was married for 22 years before divorcing and has seven kids and 13 grandchildren.
Durbin said he plans to move to Yukon, where some of his kids and grandkids live.
“I'm on disability, and I'm getting old, and moving sucks, man, I'm telling you. It’s hard on an old man,” Durbin said. “I never dreamed I'd be having to move again out of here.”
While occupants of the motel have protested the eviction, Durbin said there is nothing that can be done to prevent it. He said he is frustrated by the limited 30-day notice, adding winter was a bad time to evict residents.
“There's been a lot of hell-raising going on. It's all for naught,” Durbin said.
Gene Prince, who moved into the motel from Chickasha 10 years ago, is now wheelchair-bound due to arthritis. He said his disability makes relocating difficult, and receiving the eviction notice was shocking.
“I was shocked to the heart. … Nobody wants to really deal with me, because being in a wheelchair and handicap they just don't want to deal with it, and that kind of hurts right there,” Prince said, gesturing to his heart.
Homeless shelters and ride services are not handicap accessible, Prince said, so his options are limited.
Prince said he lives off of his disability check and will likely move in with his ex-wife while he finds somewhere permanent to live. Rent in Norman is “outrageous” and most landlords don’t want to rent to him because of his disability, Prince said.
“I've really enjoyed it here and now I’ve gotta start all over again,” Prince said. “It’s sad, really sad.”
‘That’s something that weighs heavily on me’
April Doshier, executive director of Food and Shelter, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and food services to Norman residents experiencing homelessness, told OU Daily last week that Food and Shelter has been working to find housing options for OU Motel tenants.
While Food and Shelter’s homeless shelter in Norman, McKown Village, is currently full, Doshier said the tenants can use the organization’s rehousing program, which would pay the deposit or first month’s rent for the applicant’s new housing.
“We have been in constant contact with those folks to see if we can get ahead of that Feb. 1 deadline and help them find new places to go. … We are out looking as creatively as possible at all of our housing, to see what might be available,” Doshier said. “The most devastating thing is these are folks that have lived there for a long period of time because it is literally all they can afford. It isn't that they've been so luxurious and wonderful; it's that that's all they can afford.”
OU Motel resident Gene Prince on Jan. 23.
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said he is concerned the amount of housing available is insufficient to house OU Motel’s tenants. He added a main contributor to housing insecurity in Norman is housing affordability.
“I'm worried about the people who live there and where they're going to go. Most of them, if not all of them, live at OU Motel for a reason, and if they had anywhere else to go, they probably wouldn't live there,” Holman said. “I know for a fact that some of the people that live there are going to be homeless at the end of the month. That's something that really weighs heavily on me.”
Doshier also said OU Motel residents face a challenge with finding new places to live.
“The affordable housing situation in Norman is already pretty dire, so it isn't like there are so many places somebody can move to where they'll also be paying $600 a month rent, all bills paid,” Doshier said. “I mean, that's just going to be a very difficult find.”
But for now, motel employees have been working to find residents places to live and resources by connecting them to organizations and printing out rental assistance paperwork.
While Prince was talking to OU Daily, a motel employee hurried over to greet him.
“Hey, we have a place for you to go, possibly!” the employee said, giving him a hug.
She told him about a facility for seniors, where all meals are provided. Prince was quiet, but thankful.
“That’s what I need.” Prince told OU Daily. “It’s hard getting help because they don’t want to deal with me, because ‘you’re handicapped.’ And so it really is a gift.”
This story was edited by Ana Barboza, Ismael Lele and Anusha Fathepure.
