Columbus hotel housing homeless residents, pets shuttered for crime, safety issues
A group of homeless residents and their pets were turned out over the weekend after a Southeast Side hotel was shut down due to crime and safety issues.
The Community Shelter Board had been paying the Loyalty Inn, 5910 Scarborough Blvd., since mid-December to house 30 people with pets who could not stay in regular shelters, according to the board's spokesperson Níel Jurist. The group came from homeless camps the city ordered vacated in December.
On Saturday, the Loyalty Inn closed as part of an agreement between the hotel's current owner and the City Attorney's Office Property Action Team, which has been working with the property for years, according to Pete Shipley, a spokesperson for City Attorney Zach Klein. In 2021, the Franklin County Environmental Court declared the Loyalty Inn a public nuisance and ordered the owner or any subsequent owner to make improvements.
The Loyalty Inn's current owners have failed to follow the court's order, according to Shipley. Columbus police have been called to the hotel about one hundred times over the last year and the most recent State Fire Marshal inspection found seventeen violations, per Shipley.
"This is a really challenging case for us because we're in between a rock and a hard place," Klein told The Dispatch. "God forbid, something would happen where someone was shot or there was a fire, we would be open to genuine criticism of why didn't you do more."
Klein said his office was willing to give the owner until the end of the month to shut down to give residents of the hotel time to relocate, but the owner decided to shut down early.
The shelter board program was scheduled to last through the end of March, according to Jurist. The shelter board was paying between $43 and $49 per night for the rooms.
Jurist said alternative shelter options were offered to the homeless residents impacted by the hotel closure, including the chance to go into a traditional shelter and their pets would be sheltered at the Franklin County Animal Shelter, but they all declined. She said some chose to return outdoors while others found other accommodations, such as with friends or family.
"This situation highlights the critical shortage of deeply affordable housing. If adequate housing were available, hotels and motels would not be utilized as for emergency shelter options," Jurist said.
More Shelter Board news: Community Shelter Board fires employee with anti-Muslim YouTube page
jlaird@dispatch.com
@LairdWrites
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Loyalty Inn, Columbus hotel that housed the homeless, has shut down
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Riot police, anti-ICE protesters square off in Los Angeles after raids
By Jane Ross and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Helmeted police in riot gear turned out on Friday evening in a tense confrontation with protesters in downtown Los Angeles, after a day of federal immigration raids in which dozens of people across the city were reported to be taken into custody. Live Reuters video showed Los Angeles Police Department officers lined up on a downtown street wielding batons and what appeared to be tear gas rifles, facing off with demonstrators after authorities had ordered crowds of protesters to disperse around nightfall. Early in the standoff, some protesters hurled chunks of broken concrete toward officers, and police responded by firing volleys of tear gas and pepper spray. Police also fired "flash-bang" concussion rounds. It was not clear whether there were any immediate arrests. An LAPD spokesperson, Drake Madison, told Reuters that police on the scene had declared an unlawful assembly, meaning that those who failed to leave the area were subject to arrest. Television news footage earlier in the day showed caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted several locations, including a Home Depot in the city's Wetlake District, an apparel store in the Fashion District and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS). CNS and other local media reported dozens of people were taken into custody during the raids, the latest in a series of such sweeps conducted in a number of cities as part of President Donald Trump's extensive crackdown on illegal immigration. The Republican president has vowed to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in record numbers. The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement action. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and massed outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were believed to be held. Impromptu demonstrations had also erupted at some of the raid locations earlier in the day. One organized labor executive, David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union of California, was injured and detained by ICE at one site, according to an SEIU statement. The union said Huerta was arrested "while exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity." No details about the nature or severity of Huerta's injury were given. It was not clear whether he was charged with a crime. ICE did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for information about its enforcement actions or Huerta's detention. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement condemning the immigration raids, saying, "these tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cops, protesters face off in LA after immigration raids
Helmeted police in riot gear have turned out in a tense confrontation with protesters in downtown Los Angeles, after a day of federal immigration raids in which dozens of people across the city were taken into custody. Live Reuters video showed Los Angeles Police Department officers lined up on Friday evening on a downtown street wielding batons and what appeared to be tear gas rifles, facing off with demonstrators after authorities had ordered crowds of protesters to disperse around nightfall. Early in the standoff, some protesters hurled chunks of broken concrete toward officers, and police responded by firing volleys of tear gas and pepper spray. Police also fired "flash-bang" concussion rounds. It was not clear whether there were any immediate arrests. LAPD spokesman Drake Madison told Reuters that police on the scene had declared an unlawful assembly, meaning that those who failed to leave the area were subject to arrest. Television news footage earlier in the day showed caravans of unmarked military-style vehicles and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents targeted several locations, including a Home Depot in the city's Wetlake District, an apparel store in the Fashion District and a clothing warehouse in South Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS). CNS and other local media reported dozens of people were taken into custody during the raids, the latest in a series of such sweeps conducted in a number of cities as part of President Donald Trump's extensive crackdown on illegal immigration. The Republican president has vowed to arrest and deport undocumented migrants in record numbers. The LAPD did not take part in the immigration enforcement action. It was deployed to quell civil unrest after crowds protesting the deportation raids spray-painted anti-ICE slogans on the walls of a federal court building and massed outside a nearby jail where some of the detainees were believed to be held. Impromptu demonstrations had also erupted at some of the raid locations earlier in the day. ICE did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for information about its enforcement actions or Huerta's detention. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement condemning the immigration raids, saying, "these tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city".
News24
3 hours ago
- News24
Fake Sassa grants ‘news' is exploding online. Here's how to spot the lies
YouTube channels and fake news websites are pumping out dozens of false stories about Sassa grants and jobs every month. These hoaxes prey on vulnerable recipients, spreading confusion, false hope or panic. Many are clearly fake, Andrew Thompson writes, but they have still managed to infiltrate public discourse and be widely shared. South Africa's social grant system is under digital siege. A flood of fake news targeting the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has spread across Facebook, YouTube and a network of low-quality, foreign-run websites. These stories are designed to mislead, confuse or panic grant recipients, often with the aim of generating clicks and ad revenue by preying on vulnerable beneficiaries. YouTube channels with tens of thousands of subscribers and some videos with hundreds of thousands of views have together uploaded hundreds of fake videos this year alone. They claim imminent changes to payouts, onerous new rules, or exciting bonuses. Dozens of websites posing as job boards or news sites have also published false notices about new jobs, grant amounts, pension cuts, and backlogged payments. Screengrab None of these channels have any connection to South African state institutions, yet they continue to reach large audiences and prompt real-world concern, forcing Sassa to issue repeated denials. In May, Sassa issued a media statement highlighting the extent of the problem and warning that it is 'concerned about the mushrooming and the rapid spread of fake news and disinformation targeting the Agency and its services almost daily'. It stressed that it has made no announcements about 'double grants', changes to pension rules, or automatic top-ups, which are among the most popular fake news stories that tend to gain traction. 'Furthermore, reports have been spreading like wildfire that Sassa has announced 'New Rules Could Affect Your Pension' from 10 June. The report has even gone further and announced various dates for different provinces. This is not an official announcement from Sassa,' the cautionary statement reads. How fake Sassa grant news spreads: volume, panic, and false hope The wave of Sassa disinformation in 2025 has followed two broad patterns, regardless of the medium or the outlet disseminating it, and the content is broadly split into two themes: fake job adverts and fake grant updates. The job advertisements regularly go viral. They claim that well-paid government positions requiring no experience are available and often direct users to deceptive forms or clickbait sites that mine data. These regularly appear as images on fake government letterheads that circulate widely on platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and X. SASSA The fake grant updates employ a more familiar disinformation approach with a different motive. These mostly AI-generated false news articles report on increased or double payments, pension rule changes, or Sassa 'deadlines' that risk non-payment of grants. All are presented without basis, and often spill over from clearly fake websites into public discourse. Fake news websites and YouTube accounts repeatedly publish variations of similar videos and articles, many of which use text-to-speech tools and AI-generated thumbnails to appear convincing. The tone ranges from panic ('rules changing next week!') to false reassurance ('you can still claim your R7 000 today'). Most rely on sheer volume, hoping that one story or job advert will catch on and spread - as many already have. News24's Disinformation Desk has counted hundreds of fake news articles about Sassa currently online, and although many fade into obscurity, an increasing number are breaking through requiring official responses. Screengrab For now, the motive of these platforms appears to be financial gain. Most of the videos are hosted on monetised channels, and the websites link to Google Adwords accounts. If these get enough traction from panicked recipients, they will generate some revenue for the owners. Yet ironically, much of the vitality of this material reveals itself on platforms like WhatsApp without direct links to the source, which do not generate the website owners income but have the same impact on grant recipients. The majority of the Sassa disinformation that gains mainstream traction appears not to have an overt political motive or agenda, yet. Instead, it is riding on the wave of attention afforded by this vulnerable target market, many of whom are understandably deceived by the deluge. Rapid-fire Sassa debunks from the last few months alone News24's Disinformation Desk has identified hundreds of fake news stories and videos targeting Sassa recipients published in the last few months alone. Here are the most prominent examples, with their themes often emulated across other fake news sites: A viral post linking to a website called All Provinces Jobs claimed that 'South African government jobs 2025' were open for applications. The link leads to a fraudulent website not affiliated with any government department. Similar posts appeared on Facebook pages falsely advertising hiring opportunities through Sassa, often featuring job titles and closing dates to lend false credibility and create a sense of urgency. YouTube channels 'SASSA Benefits Updates' and 'Stimulus Sam' have released several dozen videos each about grant payments in South Africa, including that increased Sassa payments would be made in June 2025. The videos utilise text-to-speech narration featuring a vaguely South African accent and footage that is clearly created with generative AI. Both channels are entirely fake. A report hosted on the fake news website Debtcol Council claimed that 'new rules could affect your pension' from 10 June. Sassa has confirmed that this is also false. Another story on that website claimed application backlogs had been cleared, while yet another suggested a new top-up payment was in progress. All are fabricated. A website called Prabh Honda published a story about Sassa grant suspensions, which is entirely baseless and without truth. A piece on Rise Up WV, a website responsible for several prominent fake news items, stated that grant beneficiaries needed to reapply for doubled payments due to 'SASSA system updates'. There is no basis for this in any of Sassa's official communications. Why it matters - and how to protect yourself or family members Many of the intended recipients of these grants are older, economically vulnerable, and may not be experienced with digital literacy or fact-checking online. The combination of desperation and trust in anything that looks official makes this a fertile ground for exploitation via disinformation. These false reports don't just casually mislead - comments beneath even palpably false news items and videos indicate the confusion and desperation many experience about this topic. This fake news also distracts Sassa, which is already stretched in the payment grants, by forcing them to correct disinformation. To stay safe, advise family members of the following: Check only official Sassa channels: Information is reliably published on and Sassa's verified X and Facebook pages. Do not trust any information sent via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. Sassa does not communicate important information via forwarded messages. Never enter personal information into a form on a website claiming to offer Sassa job opportunities. Ignore YouTube channels with videos claiming to be the Department of Social Development or Sassa. Sassa's official YouTube page is not used to share news about grants. When in doubt, don't share: spreading false information, even with good intentions, can cause unnecessary panic.
