Squeezed by high prices, a growing number of Americans find shelter in long-term motels
Squeezed by high prices, a growing number of Americans find shelter in long-term motels
A surge in rents and home prices left more lower-income households with no place else to go.
Summary
A growing number of Americans are seeking shelter in budget motels due to rising rents and home prices, with families experiencing cramped, unstable living conditions.
In New York’s Hudson Valley, over 550 families with children lived in motels in 2023, a 21% increase from 2018.
High costs, safety concerns, and limited housing options make escaping this cycle difficult.
Advocacy groups warn motels are an unsustainable solution as housing costs outpace wages, while waitlists for subsidized housing and vouchers remain long.
Couple years ago was traveling through Kansas and saw a family of 3 moving into a hotel. Honestly broke my heart seeing it.
I stayed in one years ago after moving to a new city and it surprised me to see a school bus stop and pick up kids living there.
I grew up in the rural midwest in the 90s and every year our school bus would pick several kids up from the local motel. Except they were always different kids, because they were Mexican families who were working temporary jobs, I assume related to potato farming or sugarbeets but I never really knew. Anyway it was often 2-3 kids coming out of each room so families of 4-5 to a single motel room. And then they'd get on a school bus and spend all day getting bullied by racist redneck white kids.
And Why aren't people having children again? 🤔 Please remind me.
It's because women have rights and somehow the transgenders are to blame.
I live in this area. We’ve always had an income/poverty problem. There has been an “extended stay” hotel problem for a long time. Ulster is a pretty poor county. The problem in the area is there’s very little industry that pays well. There was a big State Hospital that closed down several years back that lost jobs and pushed people with mental health issues into an already poor town’s strained social services network and guaranteeing a never ending struggle to lift the town out of poverty. IBM has a campus, but it’s steadily retracted over the last several decades. Iron Mountain is another tech business that has decent pay. There are several all inclusive resorts that cater to the wealthy ($400/night, nothing locals could afford to visit) that still pay standard service wages. The whole area survived on tourist money as the wealthy metro-area people had their second homes up in the Hudson Valley, would drive there on weekends or picturesque fall days for apple-picking, and then leave.
Then covid hit, they fled the boroughs, and bought all the available housing sending prices through the roof. Mediocre early 1900’s homes that what could be had for $200k now started at $350k and end up over $400k in same day bidding wars.
The Hudson Valley has been poor for decades. Known as a “rough area” in some cases, still is in towns like Newburgh despite the price hike in housing.
Everyone’s getting priced out, and there’s no commensurate increase in good-paying jobs to help the regular people. It also means any commute to the city takes 15-20% longer because RTO turned WFH people into commuters.
It’s shitty because there’s no benefit for locals.
Don't forget the $8k annual tax bill that goes along with that already unaffordable house. I grew up near the area and love to visit but it's a hard place to get by for what it is, if that makes sense
You’re not wrong. Like I said, very little good industry to make up for the CoL. I really despise how they do prop/school taxes every year. If you live south of 84 the taxes get outrageous quickly, it’s essentially a second mortgage. They’re cheaper further north…sorta, but again the big problem is that there’s no industry to tax, so the people pay it all. Closer to the metro they charge for the infrastructure and wages. No escape. I grew up in an area where taxes were cheaper and went into a slush fund and then paid out across the state, so a shared burden. Not like NY where they slap you with two big bills 2x/yr if you don’t have a mortgage. Should be monthly with autopay. F those big bills. I don’t care how long you live there, they’re still a shocker.
Mediocre early [1900s] homes that [...] could be had for $200k now started at $350k and end up over $400k in same day bidding wars.
We were considering bidding on a 1918-build bungalow up the road here. Basement in need of re-arrangement, original electrical, pipes, ducting. So about 20% for retro on top of
C$1.51m
Our one bedroom condo has jumped from 350k to 650k assessed in under a decade. It is fucking insane.
And then there's the mortgage on a 1.51mil house And the tax Not just the initial "buy house + reno so it's an investment" wealth/security. Sure maybe you could save up the hundreds of thousands for a down payment
It's just insane and as far as I see the only laws that give real relief or protection are for existing homeowners so good luck n00bs
Damn.
It's puzzling how a temporary accomodation can be cheaper than a regular rent
These are pretty crappy hotels most of the time. They’re has-been places that cater to the living-in-a-hotel poverty set. Rates are pretty low, and they’re generally not places you’d want to stay when vacationing or visiting an area.
The solution is to jack up prices of these motels to keep the market "efficient".
It was odd when I figured out one of my coworkers lived in the long term stay place behind the office for like 2 years. This was about a decade ago but I think he said it was like ~500 a month. He was making ~70K and absolutely could afford an apartment but that was somehow cheaper. He said it had trade offs…everything he owned fit in a suitcase and backpack.
You’ll own nothing and be happy…
Well I suppose the second part isn’t entirely true
It's happy compared to the alternatives you're given.
My mom and stepdad lived in a motel for 5 years. Saved up and then bought a house. I did the motel thing before myself. Sure beats sleeping on the streets.
Making excuses for the shortcomings of society enable society to continue to have shortcomings.
Nothing will meaningfully improve until the rich fear for their lives
Spare us that conspiracy nonsense. This is simply capitalism allowed to run unchecked.
Edit for the downvoters: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/fact-check-the-world-economic-forum-does-not-have-a-stated-goal-to-have-people-idUSKBN2AP2SP/
Late stage capitalism, get ready for lightning round... with oligarchs!
Squid Game for the rich.
America will get there.
Seriously I'd love hotels like this $9.99 a night in central Tokyo. If they had something like this in NYC, it would open up so many economic opportunites for regular people to establish employment, and move up on the economic ladder.
I stayed in a capsule like that on an overnight ferry when all the cabins were booked. It beats sleeping in a recliner seat.
My wife had a hard time sleeping because of someone snoring loudly in the capsule next to her, but I slept like a log.
They should be sound proof or at least monitored by a snore attendant. Or just have a snoring/no snoring section. Maybe I should get into pod management.
You joke but I'd love that for traveling
Seriously. I wish they had these on planes.
I can't sit in a chair very long so I haven't tried to go overseas yet.
i mean they exist.. i almost stayed in one in berlin last summer
I know of at least 1 person in this situation, but that's because he accidentally sold his house because he didn't want his neighbors to give him weird looks while he smoked in front of his house.
The word you are looking for here is impulsively, not accidentally. He purposefully went through the whole process of selling the house and experienced immediate remorse, but there was no accident involved.
Thank you, honourable Lemming for your help. It's difficult policing all these errors alone
He went beyond the point of no return without understanding or intending to have done so, that's an accident.
That person has mental issues.
Kingston, New York:
"It’s a chain of events that could have been avoided had there been a place for the family to rent for $1,200 a month"
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 875 square feet. $1,200.
https://www.realtor.com/rentals/details/37-Millers-Ln_Kingston_NY_12401_M94353-27149
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 720 square feet. $1,207.
https://www.realtor.com/rentals/details/45-N-Chestnut-St_New-Paltz_NY_12561_M95190-54232
Two person max, first and last month's rent, credit check, black list check, utilities, parking fee, amenities fee, security deposit, pet rent, price raise after 3 months.
Landlords are out of control.
Many apartments won't lease more than two people to a studio or one bedroom, so that won't work for a family.