About a week after notifying residents displaced by a blaze at a St. James Town apartment this summer that their temporary accommodations would no longer be paid for after the end of the month, property management has extended its assistance plan until April.

In a news release issued on Friday, the property manager said tenants of 650 Parliament Street will “receive temporary housing assistance, including the continuation of hotel accommodations and other allowances until April 30, 2019.”

“We have been working tirelessly to help secure temporary and permanent housing options for all of our residents,” a spokesperson for the building, Danny Rother, said in the news release.

About 1,500 residents were forced from their homes due to electrical damage and safety concern caused by a six-alarm fire in the building back in August. Some of the occupants found alternative accommodations through family, friends or Good Samaritans, but others have been staying in hotels paid for by the property manager.

Residents staying in hotels were previously alerted on Nov. 14 that their rooms would no longer be paid for as of Nov. 30.

In response, Mayor John Tory said this decision was “not acceptable.”

The announcement on Friday cites ongoing dialogue with Tory, insurers and building management.

“While ownership is aware of the challenges and difficulties the fire and dislocation has created for our residents, the scope and impact of this event has created a condition of unprecedented magnitude,” Roth said.

“Market conditions, coupled with the unparalleled financial burdens created by the fire and the building’s reconstruction has challenged our ability to satisfy the very real and very compelling needs of our residents. However, with the cooperation of our residents and the support of the city and our insurers, we are striving to meet the challenges we face in a responsible manner.”

Roth added that repair work to the building will last “another six months, at a minimum.”

“Given this prolonged, yet necessary period, we are permitting residents to seek early and immediate termination of their leases at 650 Parliament to purse alternative permanent housing options,” he said.

Those who terminate their lease will receive a relocation stipend of $5,000, along with an additional $2,500 for furnishing assistance and the return of their last month rent cheque.