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.
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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.
Story is about a mom and daughter with a $1,200 limit, it seems do-able to me based on a 30 second internet search.
Your 30 seconds search turned up 2 results at the limit of what this family could afford, without including the additional costs such as utilities, parking, ... + all other stuff that the other person mentioned. Which means that those results are significantly outside their budget.
If their budget is 1200 $/month, then they cannot afford an apartment with that list price. My guess would be that they could afford a list price of 800 to 900 $/month, maybe 1000 $/month if a parking spot was included in the rent. But I don't live there, so this is just a bad guess.
It's not the limit of what the family can afford, it's the limit at which the journalist says their problems are solved.
There are cheaper places, but I picked the two at the limit with the largest square footage.
If they can survive in a hotel room, they can get a studio apartment for $700/$800 and be cheaper than renting a hotel room.
Many apartments won't lease more than two people to a studio or one bedroom, so that won't work for a family.
Ah, the Resilient Jenkins approach.
Is that Leroy's cousin?
That lady wishes she could be known for something like Leroy Jenkins.
Nah, she's one of those family youtubers with a bunch of children, and they came under fire recently because it was found out that they live in a one bedroom apartment and her and her fiance share the bedroom while her kids slept on mattresses in the kitchen.
Well that was an interesting little rabbit hole. Stop having kids, lady.