BUTTE — An apartment building in Butte was recently heavily damaged after being struck by a vehicle and it’s upended the lives of the tenants living here who are now forced to find new places to live. A difficult prospect in a town with a lack of housing.
“I don’t have a place to sleep, I don’t have a place to shower—you know, like pretty much every inconvenience possible. I mean, like, I’m glad I still have my car. Now I’m like kind of homeless at the moment,” said tenant Justin Norine.
Justin lives in the apartment complex with his girlfriend at 1025 E. Front Street. The building was struck by a vehicle the evening of Sept. 22 and caused heavy damage to the foundation. The building has been deemed structurally unsafe and the property manager has given all four tenants notice to be out in 30 days.
“The market's tough, we got to find a place we can afford, you know, a place that will allow us to have a pet and things aren’t easy,” said Norine.
Tenants have renters’ insurance, but the sudden change is still a burden.
“You know, we’re just trying to get by, we’re living paycheck to paycheck and something bad happens and causes four people to be out on their butts,” he said.
I reached out to the building’s landlord, Centana Property Management, for comment on this situation but did not receive a response.
Police say a 60-year-old Butte man was driving the car that crashed into the building and remains hospitalized with injuries. The incident remains under investigation. Police suspect alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.
“Not going to be too hard on him, but I did read there could have been alcohol involved and he was going way too fast. I mean, it was irresponsible all around,” said Norine.
