DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — When most people think of a motel, they picture a short stay — maybe a road trip or a vacation stopover. But for more than 2,004 households in DeKalb County, a single motel room has become home for months or even years.
For the first time, DeKalb County commissioned a study to better understand how many people, often considered the hidden homeless, were staying in motels, for how long, and why.
Researchers went door to door at 42 residential motels across the county, where they found on average four people living in one room. Residents said they had no privacy, children had no where to play, and the environment led to nights of poor sleep…