Community reflects on housing needs one year after Drake Hotel fire

It’s been one year since the Drake Hotel fire in downtown Minneapolis.

It left hundreds of people without a home, and the building had to be demolished.

Fire at Drake Hotel that displaced hundreds fully extinguished

Housing advocates say this put a strain on the homeless community, but they’re doing all they can to help.

December 25th, 2019, a four-alarm fire forced more than 250 people from their homes at the Drake Hotel.

"When I first got the call I was just like no not another Christmas fire, no," said Lynette Nyman, Regional Communications Manager with the American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas.

Nyman was there doing anything she could to help.

"One thing I can do is be there in that moment and just support people," Nyman said.

The building was used as low-income housing and a shelter for the homeless. So what these folks needed was a new place to live.

"It really was an emotional, traumatic rollercoaster for so many people," Nyman said.

3 injured in 4 alarm fire at Drake Hotel in downtown Minneapolis

Nyman says they worked with community partners for five weeks to relocate everyone as their former home was demolished.

"Every time someone secured a place to live, the folks helping find those locations would ring this bell and there would be this yay, it happened. By the end everyone had a place to go," Nyman said.

"Losing that sort of flexible capacity in our family shelter system was very scary," said Steve Horsfield, Executive Director of Simpson Housing Services.

Simpson Housing Services supports people experiencing homelessness.

"Shelter saves lives, and housing ends homelessness," Horsfield said.

Horsfield says this fire brought more attention to a bigger conversation.

"We have systems, we have policies that leave us in this situation where we are where so many folks are excluded from our housing markets in Minnesota," Horsfield said.

Drake Hotel fire strains affordable housing, shelter system in Hennepin County

That’s why he’s on a mission to help.

"I think we have an opportunity to change what the housing continuum looks like and what the market looks like to better serve folks," Horsfield said.

While this is another reminder of how many people don’t have stable housing, there are plenty of others who are dedicated to giving them a hand.

"There were community folks who really made it happen and I was truly in awe of seeing their effort," Nyman said.

A Minneapolis city spokesperson says there haven’t been any official proposals for what to do with the land, since the building was torn down.