A new study by Georgia State University reveals that more than 4,600 people, including 1,635 children, are living long-term in extended-stay hotels across DeKalb County, forming what researchers call a "hidden homelessness" crisis invisible to federal counting systems.
Researchers from Georgia State University's Center on Health and Homelessness, working alongside the Single Parents Alliance and Resource Center, conducted a door-to-door survey of 42 extended-stay hotels in DeKalb County between September and November of 2025.
The findings expose a troubling pattern: families are paying premium prices for substandard temporary housing while remaining excluded from homeless services and government assistance programs, according to Imprint News.
The Scale of the Crisis
The numbers are striking. The study documented more than 2,000 households trapped in what should have been short-term accommodations but have become long-term housing.
Nearly half of these households have lived in hotels for at least one year, while 16 percent have stayed for five years or longer. Families pay an average of $1,852 monthly, often matching or exceeding typical apartment rent, yet lack the stability, safety, and support that permanent housing provides.
The crisis predominantly affects a specific demographic. Black single mothers represent the majority of families living in extended-stay hotels, reflecting broader housing inequity in the region.
Common barriers trap these families in the hotel cycle: poor credit scores, previous evictions, and insufficient money for security deposits required by landlords.
One mother, Arilya Romero, lived in a hotel for seven months with her pregnant daughter and grandson. She had employment but lacked the upfront costs needed to secure an apartment. "It felt like a trap once I got into the hotel," Romero explained.
The living conditions are often deteriorating. Nearly half of residents reported encountering insects or rodents, and only 25 percent said children received the federally required educational support. Despite these hardships, these families remain invisible in official homelessness statistics and receive minimal government resources.
According to research co-author Shannon Self-Brown, a professor at Georgia State University's Center on Health and Homelessness, the oversight is significant: "Thousands of people in DeKalb County are living in extended-stay hotels but are not included in federal homelessness counts or local administrative systems.
These families are excluded when resources are allocated, yet they face the same instability, cost burdens, and risks to health and safety as other people who lack stable housing," Civic Atlanta reported.
Steps Toward Solutions
Community organizations are responding to the crisis. The Single Parents Alliance and Resource Center has opened a community center in Duluth focused on helping single-parent families break the poverty cycle through credit repair, job training, and housing placement assistance.
DeKalb County also allocated $8 million in July 2025 to launch Park at 500, an initiative designed to address housing instability.
Advocates emphasize that solutions exist. Joy Monroe, founder of the Single Parents Alliance and Resource Center, stated: "This problem is solvable. These families can be helped." Romero's success story, having secured an apartment and working toward homeownership before 2026 ends, demonstrates what targeted support can achieve.
The findings recommend that policymakers establish a hotel-resident stabilization fund, create a housing task force, and invest in county-level housing solutions.
As Georgia State University and community partners present the complete report to DeKalb County commissioners, advocates hope this research will expand awareness to other communities across metro Atlanta, where extended-stay hotels have become an unintended homeless shelter system, as per CBS News.
