Abstract
In the summer and fall of 2018, a qualitative study was conducted within Sacramento County to evaluate the social phenomenon of hotelin’ as it relates to individuals living in Single Room Occupancy’s housing (SROs) for two weeks or longer. The purpose of the project was to evaluate how participants came to reside in places like hotels and motels and to understand the identity management strategies that were practiced. Using the work of Snow and Anderson (1987) called Identity Talk, I use this theory to take an in depth look at the verbiage participants used during the time of the interview and to assess whether someone was more or less likely to embrace or distance themselves from the homeless role. Given the fluidity of this demographic results varied between participants but demonstrated a unique insider perspective which I call hotelin’. Hotelin’ is described as a condition that keeps people stuck in a hotel or motel setting for extended periods of time. Once involved in the cycle residents find it difficult to move as they are unable to generate enough income to save for a moving deposit which many apartment and homes require. Moreover, because living in a hotel or motel permanently is defined as being homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act 2009, their conditions must be critically evaluated as a sanctuary place where men, women, and children take refuge during times of crisis. It is proposed that living in a SRO serves as temporary shelter for many low-income families that often struggle with finances. As a result of these findings, I recommend that rent control and increasing low-wages are the necessary implications that are needed to alleviate the burden of having families take shelter in hotels and motels. This is an important dilemma to ruminate because the state of California holds one of the highest renting prices in the nation where the average two-bedroom cost is well over $2,000 per month (Zillow.com 2019). Therefore, taking a critically approach as to this dilemma I explain in detail what it is like hotelin’ in Sacramento County.