The Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness is set to close a Bardstown Road hotel, leaving some longtime residents with little warning.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Nov. 11 has suspended the permit for the Budgetel Inn & Suites at 3304 Bardstown Road, according to an email from an employee of the Louisville Metropolitan Bureau of Social Services. in a letter obtained by The Courier Journal.
In response to a request for more information, health department spokeswoman Kathy Turner said the city requested the suspension “after a history of failed inspections,” including the hotel’s last four inspections.
“The business has the right to appeal the suspension of their permit,” Turner said by email. “They are allowed to continue operating during the appeals process.”
Social Services had previously been sent an email by a public health worker informing them of the impending closure and asking them to help permanent residents. It is not known how many people are currently in long-term ownership.
“I apologize for the extremely short notice, we did not expect the state to move so quickly,” the public health official said in an email. “I know they have a lot of guests who are staying and they’re going to need resources.”
The Office of Social Services has asked to work with several local advocacy groups to help those affected by the warnings move out. The hotel has 187 rooms and hosts “many” long-term guests, according to the email.
A sign next to the Budgetel on Bardstown Road offering daily and weekly rates.
David Smillie, director of Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered, said closing the hotel will strain a system that has already reached its limit. Louisville from Nov. 11 is also in effect under a white flag warning, which goes into effect when extreme weather conditions occur in the city and shelter vacancies increase.
“I don’t think any of us are naive,” Smillie said. “I’m sure the city has public health and welfare reasons for taking this action.”
“But there’s another version of harm reduction that gets thrown out the window when there’s a mass evacuation,” Smillie continued. “We already have a deficit of available shelter beds in our city.”
The Budget is not the only hotel to be told to close in recent months. September The Louisville Manor Motel has been ordered to close its doors indefinitely due to public concern and documented thefts, assaults and drug-related activity at the property.
The Bardstown Road hotel previously avoided closure in 2015 when it operated as the Economy Inn. City officials issued a notice of intent to suspend the permit in November of that year after failing a health department inspection. However, the hotel was allowed to continue operating while improvements were made, according to earlier reports by the Courier Journal.
Laquon Jefferson and Morgan Haynes have spent the last 10 years on and off Budget trying to save money and get credit to rent an apartment.
Residents Morgan Haynes and Laquon Jefferson said the hotel has made strides in cleanliness and amenities since they moved in in 2015. There are no more bed bugs, better management and some rooms even have Jacuzzis, Jefferson said.
The couple rents a motel room when they have money, sometimes for weeks, sometimes just for days. When they don’t have $70 for a night or $300 for a whole week, they live out of their car.
“It’s going to affect a lot of people,” Jefferson said. “A lot of homeless people, a lot of people coming from downtown because it’s the cheapest room in Louisville.”
This story will be updated.
Contact reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com or follow her on X at @keely_doll. Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 via X.
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville seeks to close Budgetel Inn & Suites on Bardstown Road