Removed from Bush House Hotel, residents struggle: 'I don't know where I'm supposed to go'

Robert sat on the cold pavement at the corner of Front and Broad streets in Quakertown on Thursday, clutching a plastic bag filled with clothes.

“I don’t know where I’m supposed to go,” said the man, who spoke in a low voice and struggled to complete each sentence. Occasionally, he would walk in circles, only to again sit down on the curb.

Behind him was the Bush House Hotel, from which he and more than 60 other residents were removed Wednesday after borough officials condemned the property for unsafe and unsanitary conditions, including an insect infestation so bad it infiltrated the building’s fire alarm system.

The sudden condemnation left nonprofits scrambling to help Bush House residents, many of whom already were on the verge of homelessness, and ended up at the boarding house as a last resort.

The emergency removal also has raised questions as to how the building was allowed to deteriorate so badly, after years of complaints from residents and the surrounding community.

"What's (the owner) going to do with all of us?" said one resident, who asked not to be named. "I don't want to go back to a homeless shelter. They took the place I know as home. He has to put a roof over our heads."

Borough officials on Thursday said the matter remained an active investigation, and referred calls to an attorney who could not immediately be reached. This news organization also was unsuccessful in reaching property owner Tom Skiffington, a well-known Upper Bucks Realtor who owns multiple properties in the area.

Neither he nor his attorney returned phone calls and emails as of Thursday afternoon.

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Inspections find 'unsanitary' and unsafe conditions

Bush House residents received notice Wednesday morning from Quakertown's Code Enforcement Officer Douglas Wilhelm to gather their belongings and leave because the building was being condemned as unfit for human habitation. The notice cited the deteriorated structure and unsafe and unsanitary conditions, including an insect infestation that compromised the building's fire protection system.

“This police officer said we had 20 minutes to get out,” said Nick Vess, who lived in a $900-a-month apartment with his wife and two children. “I knew there were inspection issues but no one told us exactly what was happening.”

Conditions at the low-income boarding home were so bad that its residents were told if they refused to take showers in decontamination trailers at the property, they would be denied "re-housing opportunities," according to the borough notice.

“It is within your and your family’s best interests, as well as the public’s best interest, that you work with us as we try to mitigate and eliminate the unsanitary conditions at this property and prevent their spread to other locations and buildings,” the letter said.

Residents were medically evaluated before they were transferred to an evacuation center set up at Quakertown Borough Hall, where they were re-evaluated medically, provided food and water, and could meet with county government and nonprofit agencies about new housing options.

Later, at a press conference Wednesday afternoon, borough officials recounted horrendous conditions in the building. Accounts from emergency personnel highlighted the severity of the situation.

Among them, ambulance workers in July responded to the Bush House for reports of a seriously injured 83-year-old resident in distress. They found a woman with a severe infection and insect bite marks. She died the next day, Wilhelm said.

“The next day, the woman died,” he said.

Thirty days ago, the borough obtained a warrant to enter the property.

“The bed bugs are in every room,” said Wilhelm. “The roaches encroached into the electrical system and were actually in the fire alarm system.

"Fire departments were responding to the property because the roaches were actually in the fire detection system."

Evacuating the complex’s 64 residents could not be avoided, officials said. “This building will have to be taken down to the bare studs and a combination of heat and chemicals is needed to take care of the infestation,” Wilhelm said.

Residents are being allowed to reenter the motel to gather additional belongings only if they are accompanied by a "certified" borough official, and only during normal business hours Monday through Thursday.

Vess said he had not experienced issues with the infestation. But Charles Coleman and his partner Kristina Tatum told a very different story.

They paid $150 a week for a unit. The issues with bugs were constant, the couple said. When they requested it, the landlord would send someone to deal with the bugs. But they also had to constantly clean the apartment to keep bugs out.

“It was a place for some people who had no place else to go,” said Coleman. “Some people were in a really bad situation.”

Another resident, who lived in a single-room basement apartment for the past few years and asked that his name not be used, described a long lack of maintenance in the building. "There's so many things that should have been done," he said.

Still, it was home — and now he has no where to go.

For many, the Bush House Hotel was the last stop before homelessness.

For years, Kristen Fallows has helped poor and mentally ill persons secure housing in the Bush House.

Her organization, Angels Sharing the Wealth, struggled to find other housing options for many who would otherwise live on the streets. “We saw some improvements to the entrance of the property,” said Fallows. “I know they tried to make some improvements, but it’s hard to control what people do inside their own apartments.”

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Bush House has history of violations

The inspections also identified rooms with heavy debris, food waste, and clutter which can act as feeding areas for insects.

An exterminator who accompanied borough personnel on the inspections recommended that the entire building be treated with both a liquid and heat extermination program. The building will need to be de-cluttered, cleaned, and un-occupied for this program to be fully and properly performed, officials said.

The Bush House is considered a historic building, built in 1850 by William Bush. At the time it was the only building with a ballroom in Quakertown, according to historical records. The hotel was considered a stopping point for travelers on the Reading Railroad, whose station was across the street.

The building retains much of the Victorian-era features such as ornate wood molding and hardwood floors, but it does not have a sprinkler system. A building-wide fire alarm system was not installed until 2017.

In April 2018, a large portion of the building was extensively damaged in a two-alarm fire that killed an 82-year-old resident. Several residents had to be rescued from the building and several injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was ruled undetermined, but borough officials believed it was electrical.

"Since this fire, the owner has only undertaken minimal renovations to this portion of the building, which is still not occupied," the Quakertown release said.

As recently as 2019, borough officials inspected the property and gave its owner 30 to 45 days to fix the outstanding issues. It's unknown if the repairs were made.

County property records show the building is owned by MT Estate Realty in Perkasie, which is owned by Skiffington. The Bush House and two other parcels were all purchased in October 2004, according to records.

MT Estate paid $348,000 for the Bush House Hotel and another $954,000 for properties in the unit block of Front Street — which is connected to Bush House — and the 10 block of South Second Street, which is behind the Bush House.

County records show no outstanding taxes are owed on any of the properties.

What's next for Bush House residents?

Erin Lukoss, executive director of the Bucks County Opportunity Council, said the organization was working to put some of the displaced residents up in hotels, or help them connect with family members.

"Nobody should have to go through this," Lukoss said on Wednesday. "It's a tough position. They've been gracious at accepting whatever help we can give them. We're doing everything we can so that nobody is homeless."

On Thursday, Lukoss said the opportunity council and the YWCA, which were among a host of nonprofits responding to help residents, had placed approximately 50 households in temporary housing.

"We have not had opportunity to debrief and review everything yet," she said. "Each case was handled individually, so I can't say how long we placed people. We will be working with each household to find a more permanent place over the next several weeks."

The opportunity council was just one of several agencies on scene scrambling to provide assistance. They were joined by the Bucks County YWCA, North Penn Goodwill's canteen and Quakertown Community Outreach, among others. The county's mental health, drug and alcohol, and consumer protection departments were also there to provide resources.

Bucks County spokesman James O'Malley said the county was providing housing assistance and social service support to displaced residents.

Former residents of the Bush House Hotel trickled in and out of the building on Thursday afternoon. Many said the sudden condemnation caught them by surprise. On Wednesday, borough officials said that they had secured housing for displaced residents for a period of two weeks.

Yet Bush House resident James Tomasetti said he was told he might have to leave his hotel by the weekend.

“We were told that we might be out by the weekend, if they run out of room,” said Tomasetti, who works in plastic mold casting.

He filled his car with items from his apartment. “This is probably all that I can take,” he said. “The rest of it — I’ll just have to leave it.”

Correspondent Michele Haddon contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bush House Hotel in Quakertown condemnation leaves residents struggling