Young adult male wearing a dark overcoat with checkered shirt underneath in an indoor setting, with muted wall colors and furniture. 1:53
The Press Democrat channel icon The Press DemocratOriginal creator 12K views Save

A motel turned home for veterans

Akash Kalia was 21 and a student at the University of Oregon when his parents called. Their motel was failing, and they needed him. more

He packed up and went home. Money from a settlement over a paintball injury to his eye let him buy the motel from his parents. It's called The Palms Inn, and it has 104 rooms.

His plan was to change it from a motel into housing for veterans and for people who have been homeless a long time. Residents will pay 30 percent of their income in rent.

Young adult male wearing a dark overcoat with checkered shirt underneath in an indoor setting, with muted wall colors and furniture. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Akash Kalia was 21 and a student at the University of Oregon when his parents called.

On a tour of the property for The Press Democrat, he lays it out. There are 52 units on one side and 52 on the other. One area is going to be a community garden, where residents can grow their own vegetables and "play in the dirt."

Some rooms have an accent wall and new carpet. Nine out of ten already have a fridge and a microwave, and those are staying. So are the TVs, chairs, desks, towels and linens, all going to the people who move in.

Akash Kalia, with dark hair and a beard, wears a black coat over a light shirt and looks straight at the camera. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Fridges, microwaves, TVs, towels and linens will all go to the people who move in.

His reason is simple. "It would feel a lot better for someone to come into a furnished home rather than have it just a bed in a corner," he says.

From there, residents can build on what they find and make the space their own. He calls it giving them "some of the foundation to build a home."

Akash Kalia, in a jacket over a shirt, looks down as he speaks. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
He wants residents to start with the basics and then make each room their own.

"Growth through adversity" has been a big thing in his own life, he says. At 17 he had brain surgery to remove a birth defect. He calls it "the best thing that ever happened to me," because it made him grow up very quickly.

Akash Kalia, in a checkered shirt, looks ahead with his mouth slightly open. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Brain surgery at 17 made him grow up fast, he says, and showed him how precious life is.

It also taught him how precious life is, and that there's more to it than making a bunch of money or running a business. "It's about doing something good that can actually impact other people's lives," he says. "That's what really counts."