American Sports University Dormitory is set to close October 21st, 77  tenants have accepted social services and are being relocated

The dilapidated American Sports University dormitory will be permanently closed on October 21st, and thus far, 77 tenants out of about 200 have accepted social services and will be relocated. 

According to City of San Bernardino Public Information Officer Jeff Kraus, the city mandated the Owner, Fox Property Holdings and its Principals, Ji Li and Josef Anthony Vittal, to pay relocation benefits to all tenants, but that has yet to happen. 

Since Thursday, October 13th, multiple departments from the County of San Bernardino have been tabling in the dormitory’s parking lot on the east side of the building, including public health clinic operations, public health oral health, and housing and transportation resources. 

At the site on October 17th, 2022, San Bernardino County Health Education Specialist Laura Gallardo said that morning they had two or three residents visiting the five resource booths. 

“Our service partner, Searchlight, is on-site Monday through Friday from 7:30 am until 5:30 pm, providing intake, assistance, and other resources. Right now, there are only seven or eight tenants left on the first floor of the building,” said Krauss. 

And out of the seven or eight tenants remaining on the first floor, one of those residents was in the middle of moving out. She had a Uhaul box truck parked in front of the D Street building with hazard lights turned on as they walked back and forth into the building – removing their items from inside the dormitory. 

On October 17th, 2022, the site of the dormitory seemed somewhat of a ghost town, it was quiet, and almost every first-floor window on the east side of the building was broken. 

“Late last week, we became aware of a tenant who left behind nine small dogs in their unit for multiple days with minimal food and water. San Bernardino Animal Services rescued the dogs and are holding them at their shelter for the required 15 days to reunite with their owner. After 15 days, they will be put up for adoption,” concluded Kraus.

To learn more about the County’s human services, call (909) 387-4717. 

To read more about the American Sports University dormitory evictions, click here.