GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — As the need for affordable housing continues, many metro Atlanta families are turning to motels and hotels as a last resort. But that move can make it harder to pay off debt or save for permanent housing.
It's a situation Francheska Rivas found herself in earlier this year, living out of a Gwinnett County motel room with her two children.
"I was working two jobs," Rivas said. "I had a budget worked out. Somehow still I'm only left with $87 to my name."
It's a cycle familiar to the team at St. Vincent de Paul Georgia, which runs the Motel to Home Program. Among them is Heidi Eveleigh, who works with families often living paycheck to paycheck, relying on motels and hotels for housing, especially since the pandemic.
"These hotels are very expensive," Eveleigh, who also serves as program manager, explained. "We are finding a lot of our applicants now can't afford the hotels anymore. They're sleeping in cars with their children because there isn't anywhere else to go."
The Motel to Home Program seeks to help families out of that situation, supporting the move from extended-stay motels to more stable housing. Caseworkers work with families to identify their barriers to housing, which could be prior evictions or difficulty saving for a first deposit. The program also offers financial support in addition to ongoing education on managing personal finances, housing, career advancement, and personal development.
"A lot of our clients are single moms," Eveleigh said. "They work multiple jobs. It can happen to anyone. Once you lose your housing, it's difficult to get back into it if you don't have the backing."
The need for such support has also increased significantly since the pandemic, according to Mariel Risner Sivley, St. Vincent de Paul's Director of Housing.
"We saw our requests increase by more than 40% over the pandemic," Risner Sivley explained. "We're seeing more people living in their cars applying for assistance."
Yet, the growing need is challenged by limited affordable housing options.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a household would need to earn $51,560 a year to afford rent of a basic two-bedroom apartment at $1,289. Yet, around 25% of Georgia renters can only afford half that amount ($649/month).
"If there's one thing that happens in your household, all the different pieces can come apart," Risner Sivley explained. "That's where we are able to be there and provide hope and help to families."
That includes families like Francheska Rivas, who were resettled into an apartment earlier this year.
"I'm just trying to just show the kids that what we went through, mommy is going to make up for it, no matter how hard I have to work," she added.
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