TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — 34 people who rely on City Walk Urban Mission for shelter may have to find somewhere else to go after the Tallahassee fire marshal ordered anyone living in the building to vacate as of 5 p.m. March 27.
This prompted the owner and operator of the church to file an injunction so they can keep people in their building off of Mahan drive.
Resident Eric Williams said City Walk he hopes he can stay.
"I slept underneath the stairs at the public library," Williams said. "It was cold. I didn't want to go back out there. And so, my last chance was this place."
After losing his partner four years ago, Williams said he fell into addiction and ended up without a roof over his head.
Williams said finding City Walk Urban mission was life-changing.
"They took me in when I had no where else to go, when I thought it was going to be over for me," Williams said. "This place right here saved my life."
But with the fire marshal ordering residents to vacate the building due to a fire code violation, Williams said he does not know what to do.
Pastor and operator of City Walk Urban Mission Renee Miller said she received notice February 27 that her shelter was violating fire code due to a lack of a sprinkler system.
This isn't the first time City Walk had to fight keep it's doors open.
The shelter was slapped with a code violation in 2021.
Court documents indicating because the shelter didn't have the proper permits to operate as a transitional housing facility.
But now, Fire Marshal Jason Greisl said City Walk has failed to provide plans to install a sprinkler system, which prompted this order to vacate.
Something that he said boils down to safety.
"Sprinklers save lives," Greisl said.
But Williams said this is not helping people like himself who rely on City Walk for services he says you can't find elsewhere.
"Who else does that? And now, they want to take it all away?" Williams said. "Let them come and live in our shoes. I'd be more than happy to let them wear mine."
