'These people have suffered enough.' What will happen to the veterans at Liberty Lodge?

SANDWICH — As veterans at Liberty Lodge in Sandwich face eviction and possible homelessness, they wrote a letter to the town demanding answers.

"The magnitude of the situation and events that have taken place demands our attention, and we firmly assert our right to be provided with full disclosure of all relevant information surrounding the situation," reads the letter, dated Aug. 3.

Twenty signatures are at the bottom of the document.

To her knowledge, said Megan Pouliot, a Liberty Lodge resident, none of the veterans have found alternative housing since Carol Eklund, property manager at Liberty Lodge, told occupants on July 30 that they needed to vacate their one-room efficiency apartments by Sept. 1.

"Nobody has talked to any of the veterans about how they are going to move," she said. "We have a right to know what’s going on."

Bill Frizzell, a Liberty Lodge resident, said he's terrified to face homelessness again after moving to the mainland from Martha's Vineyard.

"I was doing the Vineyard shuffle for years. I had a knee replacement, I was diagnosed with cancer and then COVID hit," said the U.S. Air Force veteran. "It took about five or six years to get taken down all the way until I was homeless. It makes my stomach turn to think I have to do it all again."

In addition to being called a slumlord by residents, Eklund came under fire recently when residents found out the 18-unit motel, which has been running as year-round veterans housing, was never re-zoned and is currently running as a motel, limiting occupancy to 28 days. Eklund said she wants to save the property and hopes to raise money to keep the motel going.

"We are doing the best we can," she said by phone Thursday.

Formerly known as Country Acres, the motel was purchased from Heyer Real Estate Trust by Mustapha Akkawi in April 2021 for $973,050.

Akkawi could not be reached by the Times for comment. Eklund said he's currently out of the country.

"He doesn't know a lot about this," said Eklund.

Did Eklund know the zoning limitations of the motel?

Eklund told the Times in a previous phone interview that she was confused by the zoning laws surrounding the property, which was why she didn't establish the motel as long-term or transitional housing.

"It’s a motel — people are not supposed to stay. However, it was my understanding that if it was transitional housing, we were okay," she said.

Brendan Brides, building commissioner for the town of Sandwich, said he told Eklund June 8 that she needed to install a fire safety sprinkler system at the property; obtain a special permit from the town's Zoning Board of Appeals for extended housing; take out a change of use building permit; comply with requirements for new use that would be more than a 30-day stay; bring the buildings up to code and make units compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act before the hotel could be established as longer-term housing.

Insulation, general electrical and fire improvements would need to be made as well, said Brides.

Despite Eklund's claims that she was fuzzy on zoning details, there is email history between Eklund and Brides that show otherwise. In a May 27, 2022, email sent to Brides and Ralph Vitacco, the director of planning and economic development for the town, Jonathan Fitch, Eklund's former attorney, said Eklund was clear on zoning parameters surrounding the property, which he called a charitable business.

"The new owner has leased the property to Ms. Eklund with full knowledge of the new use," said Fitch in the email. "Liberty Lodge was created to provide clean, safe, affordable, temporary housing for honorably discharged veterans of the United States Armed Forces who are in need."

While Eklund knew residents could only stay at the property temporarily, Frizzell said she accepted his year-round housing voucher, which was provided to him by Housing Assistance Corporation in Hyannis. Eklund admits accepting Frizzell's voucher, but said his lease is subject to town rules and regulations.

Liberty Lodge was never established as a nonprofit

Fitch's email states Liberty Lodge is a business model designed for not-for-profit charitable activity, and that a not-for-profit corporation was being formed under state law. "Whatever rent is not paid is considered a charitable gift back to Liberty Lodge from the landlord," said Fitch. Within that same year, Eklund issued two 30-day notices to quit to Frizzell for non-payment of rent. Willie Williams, a former Liberty Lodge resident, told the Times he was also given an eviction notice when he was several days late with the rent.

"But no one was ever thrown out," said Eklund.

Eklund told the Times a Liberty Lodge nonprofit was never established. Ongoing health issues with her husband, and the death of her son, sidetracked any progress she tried to make towards creating a nonprofit, and any zoning changes, she said.

But David Whynot, owner of the Lo Adoro Italian Market in Sandwich, said that didn't prevent her from asking him to donate to Liberty Lodge. Eklund, he said, presented herself as the owner of Liberty Lodge and said the property was a nonprofit.

"That's how she presented herself all around town," he said. "She said all the feel-good things people want to hear."

A veteran himself, Whynot said he was happy to donate food to several holiday gatherings at the motel. If he could go back in time and do it again, he said he would.

"It was for the enjoyment to the guys living there," he said. "But I feel like she wasn’t honest or completely up front with people about what Liberty Lodge actually was."

Eklund said she has never said Liberty Lodge was a nonprofit and has never taken any monetary donations. Food donations, she said, were for veterans, not the lodge.

'Inhumane and not acceptable'

In her 30-day-notice to quit to all Liberty Lodge residents, Eklund said the town was ordering the removal of residents by Sept. 1.

The comment frustrated Brides because the letter seemed to indicate that the town was to blame for the veterans' housing situation. Eklund ignored multiple emails sent by the town after their June 7 conversation, said Brides, asking her if she would be seeking a change in the motel's zoning status.

It wasn't until July 31, said Brides, that he received an email from Eklund, who had already given 30-day written notice to Lodge residents.

"It's unfortunate as these people need housing, but I also explained to them that this isn't the town being against them, it's just following the rules," said Eklund in the email.

In an email back to Eklund, Brides said the "situation Eklund created will be righted — but not at the expense of unassuming residents."

"These people have suffered enough. To simply tell them they have thirty days to get out with no alternative means of housing is inhumane and not acceptable," said Brides in the email. "The Town of Sandwich wholly supports allowing the residents to remain at Liberty Lodge until alternative housing has been secured."

Brides hasn't received a reply from Eklund, he said.

Veteran organizers say veterans housing ends in disappointment for all

Even with the troubles surrounding the property, for Greg Quilty, district director of Veterans Services for Barnstable District, Liberty Lodge was a great location.

"Some of the veterans came from a place that was worse than that by far," he said. "In many cases this was a big step up."

The community feel of Liberty Lodge is exactly what veterans need, he said. "Many people that do veterans housing build within industrial areas. We believe veterans should be a part of a community, not housed somewhere," he said.

Quilty said Eklund's intentions were good but she didn't follow through to make Liberty Lodge successful.

"Veteran service providers were on Carol Eklund's side in the beginning because Liberty Lodge would be veterans housing, which is needed more than ever," said Quilty. "But she ultimately didn't go far enough."

State Rep. Steve Xiarhos, R-Barnstable, championed Eklund and said an enterprise like Liberty Lodge can be challenging.

"She has a big heart and she wants to help veterans," he said. "I try to look at the bright side and hopefully they resolve it. It's not easy to convert into apartments and make sure it's done properly."

Eklund said Liberty Lodge was supposed to be a place where people can get on their feet.

"I take ownership with the fact that I should have finished off what I should. But money still needs to be made," she said. "When people don’t pay (their rent) for 12 or 13 months, how do you spend what you don’t have?"

Whynot said he fully expects the community members of Sandwich to rally around veterans living at Liberty Lodge.

"I hope the people responsible for all of this are held accountable," he said. "For something like this to be created less than completely honestly is gross."

Rachael Devaney writes about community and culture. Reach her at rdevaney@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachaelDevaney.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Update on Liberty Lodge evictions: Can Sandwich help veterans?