MIDLAND, Texas — After the majority of Terrace West's residents moved out of the facility, the reason for its closure became clear.
Daybreak Venture owns Terrace West. They came down to the facility on June 16 to make an announcement that they were shutting Terrace West down because of its "aging and deteriorating condition."
Walter Denison, a former resident who has since been relocated says that Terrace West was in better shape than where he moved to.
"It was an old building, but that building was in better shape than the building I’m in now. I think we’re just looking for an excuse to actually have to close the place," Denison said.
Denison had lived at Terrace West for two years. When he learned the real reason why it was being shut down, he said it was a real surprise.
"I was just kind of taken aback, you know. It was a real surprise because I hadn’t heard anything at all about anything going on. The only thing that we had going on that I knew of had to do with the virus and stuff like that, you know," Denison said.
Denison didn't receive the letter containing that information that Daybreak Venture sent out. No one in his family did either even though the letter is addressed to the resident's family member or legal guardian. Everyone Denison talked to said the same thing.
"I have a sister who lives in Austin, but she didn’t get nothing, and everybody that I’ve talked with at the facility after this started going down, nobody knew about any of this until it happened," Denison said.
Denison had been trying to leave Terrace West for some time before it closed down. He was looking at getting an apartment and sought help from Terrace West in doing so, but help never came.
"I never really got any help. I had started trying to leave and get me an apartment last year with very little success with any help from anybody there. My stay at this facility started and ended the same way: not very good," Denison said.
And one of the biggest issues for both residents and employees was what they perceived to be a lack of notice about Terrace West closing.
Federal law requires that companies that own nursing homes and wish to shut them down must give 60 days' notice. Residents and employees claimed they only had two days' notice, and that residents only had five to seven days to leave the facility.
However, the letter does state that Terrace West doesn't officially close until August 15, which is about 60 days from June 16 when residents and employees were first notified.