Charlotte motel offers rooms to NC homeless

CHARLOTTE — The owners of a North Carolina motel are offering one-tenth of their rooms for the homeless, beginning Tuesday.

The Charlotte Observer reported that Imtiaz Shareef and his brother are offering 16 of their rooms in the Days Inn extended-stay suites on Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte to the homeless. Churches or their members would pay for a night’s stay for some.

It’s part of the new Room in the Inn program, which the brothers hope will bring attention to the growing homeless population near the motel.

Shareef also hopes the program will motivate churches and their members to use his motel for other lodging needs.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)