I’m going to speak of my very recent personal experience, which I rarely do. From November 2019 until February 2020 we lived in motels. The details are not important, nor your business. During that time we met and became friendly with several families who also lived in motels. All had at least one full time working member .Living in motels, even the most inexpensive motels, still requires about $1400/month. In this state, you must move out of whichever motel you are living in every 28 days for two days, and then hope you can book a room again or get your old room back.  After 28 days, a room begins to feel like home, even if all the rooms have the same floor plan.  We were in room 111. Lucky number 111. The couple with four children and two working parents lived in the corner room, the couple with one child and grandpa, dad and grandpa working, lived next door. Another couple lived with their adult son in a room at the other corner, dad and  son working, mom legally blind.  We followed each other’s daily issues.  “Still looking for a place we can afford to move into.” 

“Yes, but damn, how do you save enough to move in, when you have to have a first, last and deposit to move in?”

“That’s hoping you can pass whatever background check they decide to throw at you.” 

“Yeah.” Heavy sighs.  We look away from one another because we are sad and embarrassed and scared. 

“Ok, well you have a good night.”

“You too.” 

Lather, rinse, repeat the next day, the day after, and the week after that.  

Eventually, the conversations turn to the various motels in the area, and their relative worthiness for a two night stay(price). Then someone tries out a new place and it seems good, but they don’t accept pets over 25 pounds.  Most of us are pet havers in the Motel Dwellers Alliance(MDA).  Now we can swap pet stories plus our daily litany. 

The motel staff know us all intimately. The motel staff is only one paycheck away from joining us in the rooms they book, clean, and troubleshoot for their clientele. We talk about that late at night, when someone’s partner is working, and a child is sleeping in the room, and you can’t sleep because, well you just can’t sleep. 

Then suddenly, one family gets lucky and finds a place. They get to move from motel life to apartment life. They are grateful they passed the background check and the credit check and the place is  willing to accept pets and they had family who could help them with deposit and how very fortunate is that? 

Mid-May.. I walk around my neighborhood with my dog and notice signs up around all the empty lots in this area.

 CAMPING OR PARKING UNLAWFUL.

 EXCEPT WHERE DESIGNATED.

It is unlawful to camp or stay overnight or during the hours of ten p.m. to six a.m. in any vehicle, trailer, or recreational vehicle within a city park or within any city owned public parking lots. CMC 10.33.180

Motels have been closed due to Covid 19 since late March, early April. Where are all the families? What were their options? Did they all pass all the checks and have the move-in money and did they even have any furniture? Are their children okay? Do any of these people still have a job? Does this community care? The majority won’t even wear masks.  Hell, many of the members of the MDA won’t wear masks. Does any of that really matter?

Lucky number 111.