Measuring what’s been missed: A countywide assessment of families living in extended stay hotels

Families living in extended-stay hotels make up one of DeKalb County’s largest but least recognized homeless populations. Because they are not included in federal homelessness counts, thousands of children, parents, and other adults go uncounted when resources and funding are allocated. The lack of resources and support leaves many trapped in unstable, costly, and unsafe housing. Extended-stay hotels house a large population. Monthly rates range from $1,752 when paying weekly (single room) to $2,661 when paying daily (double room), and over 30% of families pay the higher daily rate. These costs exceed average rent for a studio ($1,563) and one-bedroom ($1,629) apartment in DeKalb County. Families paying the daily rate pay more than the average rent for a four-bedroom ($2,031). To better understand the true scale of this issue, the Single Parent Alliance & Resource Center partnered with the Georgia State University Center on Health and Homelessness to conduct the county’s first large-scale assessment of families living in extended-stay hotels. Through door-to-door enumeration and surveys, we gathered data on household composition, income, hotel conditions, school impacts, and barriers to permanent housing.