‘Lost souls who don’t have somewhere to go,’ Seniors scramble for housing after flood closes complex in Yukon – KFOR Oklahoma City

by: Adam Snider/KFOR

Posted: Mar 5, 2022 / 01:42 PM CST

Updated: Mar 5, 2022 / 01:42 PM CST

YUKON, Okla. (KFOR) – There’s a mess brewing in Yukon. Several seniors say they’re now stuck after a senior living facility abruptly closed for repairs due to flooding.

It started late last month with a pipe bursting at The Residence at Yukon Hills.

“They opened doors at the end of the building,” said Gail Stoltzfoos, who lived at The Residence. “Water gushed out like a waterfall.”

“It just rained,” added resident Kelton Polk. “Came down through the walls and went outside.”

While many seniors like Gail left to stay with family, Kelton and about 15-20 others were bussed to the nearby avid Hotel.

Seldin Company manages the senior facility, and moved the seniors to the hotel while they worked on the issue.

Kelton assumed the whole process would take a couple days, but that quickly became a week.

“My daughter told me to grab some clothes. I got enough for four days, and it’s been more than that,” he added. “So, I’ve worn this shirt for, this is the third day.”

Thursday morning, management informed the seniors the facility likely wouldn’t open again for months.

Former residents were allowed to cancel their leases, but were asked to remove their property from the facility in the next two weeks.

The Residence at Yukon Hills was buzzing with activity Thursday, as families scrambled to move their loved ones out.

Deanna Bingham, who’s mom lived in the complex, described a dark and dangerous process.

“The problem is, it’s a two story apartment with no power,” she said. “There’s elevators, we’re talking senior citizens. So there’s no assistance being offered.”

Complicating matters more, seniors who spoke with KFOR at Avid say they were told their paid stay at the hotel would end this Saturday.

“As far as I know, [those in the hotel] are the lost souls who don’t have somewhere to go,” said Gail.

But the owner of the complex, Overland Property Group, tells News 4 no senior will be left without a place to go, and they will be working with residents on an individual basis.

Seldin Company sent our team the following statement:

“On behalf of Seldin, LLC and Overland Property Group, LLC we express our sincerest thoughts to our wonderful residents of Residence at Yukon Hills during this challenging time.  We have been working diligently with the regulatory agencies, insurance company, management, and ownership to determine next steps and begin the process of restoring the property.

As with any substantial impact situation, there have been significant communication and coordination efforts happening behind the scenes to establish a project plan.  We met today with all residents to share the status, this is a fluid situation, and we will continue to provide periodic updates to each resident on the progress and timeline throughout the repair and reconstruction process.

Our goal is to complete repairs in as condensed time as possible while also maintaining the high standards our firms require. We will be collaborating with insurance, construction, and supply partners to complete each stage.  Upon completion of all work, each resident will have the opportunity to return to their home and it is our hope all will choose to remain residents of Residence at Yukon Hills.  Our residents are vital to our community, and we look forward to having them back in their homes.”

SELDIN COMPANY SPOKESPERSON

Reopening, though, will likely be months away, and many residents News 4 spoke with say finding affordable senior living in two weeks time is nearly impossible.

“Seems very hard to find a place to stay right now to move,” said Gail. “I’m going to just keep trying and plugging at it and see what I can come up with.”

While several organizations and religious groups have expressed interest in helping, nobody is exactly sure where to start.

Overland Property Group tell News 4 they are working with several agencies to try and find help, and to figure out their next steps.

Both Seldin and Overland say the system that caused the flood had been inspected and serviced by a third party company just days before the incident.