Tracy and her children
Posted by invisiblepeople | Filed under face and voice of homelessness, road trip
You can have a roof over your head and still be considered homeless.
These days, a growing number of families are turning to ‘weekly rate’ hotels as a way to stay off the streets. But don’t let the roof fool you, many of these motels-turned-homes are shoddy, small, and unkempt. Hardly ideal living conditions for any person, nevermind young children.
Tracy and her four children are one of the thousands of families across the U.S. who call a motel “home.” Although their living situation is not ideal, Tracy says it is an upgrade over the last motel room they lived in. Her husband works full-time, but Tracy cannot find a job, so the motel room is the only housing they can afford.
Seems every weekly rate hotel I have ever visited is horrible. Besides being run down, most places are filled with drug dealers, criminal activity and are unfit for children. It’s easy to understand why Tracy wants a better environment for her kids.
Special thanks to Mobile Loaves and Fishes
August 5th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Wow.
Thanks for sharing.
I am still contemplating what this video was. I was really touched by the kids hanging on Tracy.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:36 am
[...] Source: http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/2009/08/tracy-homeless-families-austin-texas/ [...]
August 6th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
[...] a deposit and other up-front costs. Mark Hovarth of InvisiblePeople.tv recently interviewed Tracy, who lives with her husband and children in a weekly-rate motel and he [...]
August 6th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Thank you so much for posting this story. I know first hand exactly about this… a few months ago I encountered a young homeless family begging for money as they were going to be kicked out of their hotel the next day.
I did not know quite what to do but after meeting them, I wrote a story and help from the blogosphere helped them so much. The shelters in SF are not able to help enough people.
This is the beginning of their story:
http://tangobaby2.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-please-please-let.html
Happily, I can say that tomorrow they are moving into their new apartment. The motel they lived in for months was difficult and a very hard way to live, but I am so thankful to have met them and now can see they will have a home of their own. Thank you for this blog and what you do.
August 10th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
So many people don’t know enough about what families go through when resorting to weekly rooms for their kids.
Although the audio wasn’t available for this video, Tracy’s message is getting through.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:22 am
[...] fastest growing population of homeless is women and children. They are on the streets, living in motels, shelters, and even storage [...]