Are Struggling Hotels the Next Affordable Communities?

America’s affordable housing crisis has reached a breaking point. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the nation faces a shortage of more than seven million affordable homes for extremely low-income renters. Rents continue to outpace wages, and federal subsidies are stretched thinner every year. Meanwhile, another part of the built environment is quietly falling behind: the low-end hotel sector. Many budget and roadside hotels that once catered to business travelers or tourists are now facing lower occupancy and higher operating costs. A growing number of them sit partially empty, unable to compete with newer chains or short-term rental platforms. This collision of excess rooms and unmet housing need is prompting developers to consider a creative solution—turning old hotels into new homes....   ...more

RSK: As far as I know, in Madison, we have had one motel converted to apartments for the homeless and low income housing.

Ken Notes: I have always been a fan of adaptive reuse but the key to solving homelessness is far more converting buildings you need a social network to develop a support community. Jobs, mental and physical health, housing, food and more to solve the problem.