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…