Many residents at the Diplomat Hotel were surprised when they learned this week that the single-room occupancy hotel where they have been living will be shut down by the city on March 24.

While many are relying on city services to find a new place to live, few have found a new home. Some residents, facing a gap between when they must move out and when their government checks arrive, are already expecting to spend some time on the streets.

“It's kind of was a surprise because I had not heard all that was going on,” says David Fetterman, who has lived at the Diplomat since September.

The 46-year-old waiter says he plans to move in with relatives in Ohio and look for work there, rather than staying in Chicago.

Not everyone has options, though.

“They didn’t even give us one inch of warning,” says Martin O’Malley. He and his brother, who uses a wheelchair, have lived at the Diplomat for about five years.

“We have the family services. The city is helping us,” he says. But he has no idea where he’ll move in a week’s time.

The city is shutting down the Diplomat because of a litany of code violations, including blocked fire exits, rodent infestations and electrical problems, city officials say. Owner Jack Gore has refused to comment.

The 95-room Diplomat has about 40 people living in it right now, housing advocates say.

Daniel Stokes, a two-year resident, and his friend Eilene Lewan, who has been at the Diplomat for four years, have already been scouting their options, including other Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings in the city. Lewan, 48, says she has some money saved up, which will make finding a new place to live earlier.

But Stokes does not, and he’s worried about what may happen if he can’t find a new place to live soon enough. He could get a room at an SRO on Wilson Avenue, but his social security check won’t come until a week after he must move out of the Diplomat.

“If I can do seven days, if I can get into the Men’s Club...I don’t want to be homeless,” he says.

Lewan is concerned there are other residents like Stokes who may find themselves in a bind.

“A lot of these people I think are going to be homeless,” she says. “They might have to go to a shelter.”