BELLEVILLE -- The Powell family didn't have much at Christmastime last year, but it was the best holiday they'd ever had.
New residents at the Executive Inn motel, Christina Powell and her four children -- ages 5 to 17 -- woke up to a decorated 4-foot Christmas tree, ornaments hanging from pictures they'd put on the walls, and stockings, set up by her boyfriend while everyone slept.
While usually they cook "motel food" -- spaghetti, chicken alfredo, chili, hamburgers and eggs, all in the minikitchen in their hotel room -- Powell prepared a special meal for the holiday: A turkey in the roaster and a pie in the toaster oven.
New residents at the Executive Inn motel, Christina Powell and her four children -- ages 5 to 17 -- woke up to a decorated 4-foot Christmas tree, ornaments hanging from pictures they'd put on the walls, and stockings, set up by her boyfriend while everyone slept.
While usually they cook "motel food" -- spaghetti, chicken alfredo, chili, hamburgers and eggs, all in the minikitchen in their hotel room -- Powell prepared a special meal for the holiday: A turkey in the roaster and a pie in the toaster oven.
Her children got some gifts, thanks to donations from their school. It wasn't much, but it didn't seem to matter to them.
"As long as they still know what the true meaning of Christmas is, and they do, they can tell you," Powell said.
The Powells are one of many families living semipermanently in Belleville motels. City leaders may soon be proposing changes to the occupancy code to address long-term residency at motels. Mayor Mark Eckert said he, Police Chief William Clay and the Housing Department staff are working on the changes, but the proposal is under legal review right now, so neither Eckert nor Clay want to say specifically what the changes may be. Eckert said they'll likely present something to the city's aldermen within a couple of months.
While no one has an official count of people living in some of at least seven motels in the city, Joe Hubbard, director of Catholic Urban Programs in East St. Louis, said he receives as many as 35 calls per day from people asking for emergency vouchers to stay in motel rooms. He said Belleville has more affordable motels than other communities, so people come to the city from elsewhere in the county to stay at them.
Those that call have been competing for about 10 vouchers available each day. That was until a grant ran out recently. Now, Hubbard just scrapes together any donations he can to help those in the most dire of situations.
Hard to find a home
Belleville doesn't have a homeless shelter, and a group of residents and community and church leaders are trying to organize one. Shelter space outside the city is limited and shrinking along with nonprofit budgets. But Hubbard thinks that in the long term, more affordable housing is the answer. The cost of rent is soaring, and government aid for housing is hard to come by.
St. Clair County Housing Authority Executive Director Dave Wagner said that in Belleville, the only government-subsidized housing is for the elderly. As of this week, Wagner said, his office has a waiting list of 4,256 individuals and families in the county who want to live in public housing, and 5,606 who are waiting for Housing Choice Vouchers, commonly known as "Section 8" vouchers. He said many families apply in both categories, so there is some overlap on the two lists. He tells people they can expect to wait several years for assistance.
And even if they do make it to the top of the list for consideration, they're likely to have a tough time if they have any type of criminal history or credit destroyers, such as a foreclosure, Wagner said.
Congressional cuts in discretionary spending don't help the subsidized housing situation. Wagner said the Housing Authority uses that money for improvements to housing in St. Clair County, and they keep what they don't use in reserves.
"In a sense, we're going to spend down our reserves next year in order to keep our program going," Wagner said, adding that he doesn't anticipate any reduction in the number of vouchers available to the people who need them.
Also, Hubbard noted, family dynamics have changed. Decades ago, people's families would help them out, no matter what.
"You took them in whether there was one kid or 40," he said. "Now, so many families are dysfunctional."
No choice
Motel residents have various reasons for staying where they do. Some lost their homes in foreclosure. Others were kicked out of relatives' homes. Some are single women with children who have escaped domestic violence. Many others are chronically homeless.
In her family's case, Powell said, she and her then-husband bought a house and lost it in foreclosure several years ago. The family lived in a rental house until Powell left her husband, then lived in a couple of other motels with money donated from friends before scraping together enough money to pay their own way at the Executive Inn, where they've been for the past year. She and her boyfriend share one room, and the children sleep in the one next door.
Powell, who drives a school bus part-time, says her low income, sparse rental history, poor credit from her foreclosure, and the number of children she'd bring with her prevent her from being able to get an apartment in an area she considers suitable for raising children. But she continues to apply for rentals.
"At least we have a roof over our heads," she tells her children.
But she fears for her family's safety. The police have been called to the Executive Inn at least 20 times since the beginning of the year, according to police department records. It's difficult to say exactly how many times police responded there because police data isn't clear in some cases on whether the incident was at the motel or just near it.
The owner of the Executive Inn, through the manager there, declined to comment for this story.
Bu Patel, part owner of the Town House Motel on North Illinois Street, said that about 15 percent to 20 percent of the guests at his motel are staying for reasons other than that they're just passing through. He doesn't ask why they're there, but some of them do stay on vouchers donated by churches or other nonprofits. His weekly rate is $170 plus tax, though most people don't stay very long.
Jay Bhakta, owner of the Super 8 Motel on East Main Street, said the number of people staying long-term at his motel depends on what's going on in the metro-east. For example, during last winter's storms, when people's heaters broke or their roofs collapsed, they'd stay for a few weeks at the motel. Some are people from out of town who are doing temporary work in the area. Others are military members staying there until a house or apartment is ready. Once in awhile, homeless people stay there on donated vouchers. His weekly rate for two or three people in a room is $273 plus tax.
Bianca Herbst ended up in the Terrace Motel on South Belt West after losing her Belleville apartment when she lost her Supplemental Security Income because of a felony warrant for automobile theft years before. The motel was all she could afford because she couldn't come up with the security deposit required by most landlords.
Before the apartment, she spent several years sleeping in her car or on the streets in three states. Using crack cocaine, speed, and marijuana, she was estranged from her family in Texas, so she had no help there. She would sleep in parks or in the woods. She had a couple of stints in homeless shelters, but there were limits on how long she could stay. Often, she turned to prostitution in exchange for a little bit of money and a place to sleep.
"Sometimes people would let you stay overnight with them," said Herbst, 43. "So I was, like, with a different guy every night, you know. It was terrible. So finally being in one place has really, really helped out."
Looking ahead
Herbst has been on the Housing Authority's waiting list since 2007. She has looked for jobs but can't find anything, and she thinks that's at least partly because of her felony record. Herbst said she and her boyfriend could afford an apartment, but her boyfriend is sick with liver cirrhosis and wouldn't be able to use the stairs at an apartment. They don't have a car, so being within walking distance of the nearby QuikTrip convenience store is handy. Plus, for $580 per month, including utilities, Herbst said they can't think of a better deal. Herbst was able to regain her SSI and now she and her boyfriend each get a $574 SSI check every month.
Off drugs and prostitution and away from what she said were abusive relationships, Herbst is happy at the motel. She likes meeting the people who pass through and enjoys hearing their stories. The Terrace Motel will remain her home for now.
Powell, who will turn 35 on Monday, doesn't see any way out of the Executive Inn. She applies for apartments all the time, but she said she's in a tricky place; she doesn't make enough money to get into a decent place, but she makes too much to qualify for many types of government housing assistance. This school year just started, so it's hard to say how much money she'll be making driving the bus. But at the end of last school year, she was making $350 every two weeks, plus about $700 each month in Social Security Disability.
She has tried to make the motel feel like home. In her room, they have the television they brought with them from the old house, pictures on the walls, and make-shift furniture, such as a piece of luggage covered with a sheet to form a coffee table. But she feels bad for her children. They're teased at school, they don't get to have sleepovers with friends, and privacy has gone out the window as they're cramped in one room with their siblings.
She has a decorative scroll on the motel room wall that says "Don't Quit," followed by words of encouragement. It was a gift from a family member during a particularly rough time.
"I'll never let it go," she said. "I need it every time I try to give up."
Contact reporter Laura Girresch at lgirresch@bnd.com or 239-2507."As long as they still know what the true meaning of Christmas is, and they do, they can tell you," Powell said.
The Powells are one of many families living semipermanently in Belleville motels. City leaders may soon be proposing changes to the occupancy code to address long-term residency at motels. Mayor Mark Eckert said he, Police Chief William Clay and the Housing Department staff are working on the changes, but the proposal is under legal review right now, so neither Eckert nor Clay want to say specifically what the changes may be. Eckert said they'll likely present something to the city's aldermen within a couple of months.
While no one has an official count of people living in some of at least seven motels in the city, Joe Hubbard, director of Catholic Urban Programs in East St. Louis, said he receives as many as 35 calls per day from people asking for emergency vouchers to stay in motel rooms. He said Belleville has more affordable motels than other communities, so people come to the city from elsewhere in the county to stay at them.
Those that call have been competing for about 10 vouchers available each day. That was until a grant ran out recently. Now, Hubbard just scrapes together any donations he can to help those in the most dire of situations.
Hard to find a home
Belleville doesn't have a homeless shelter, and a group of residents and community and church leaders are trying to organize one. Shelter space outside the city is limited and shrinking along with nonprofit budgets. But Hubbard thinks that in the long term, more affordable housing is the answer. The cost of rent is soaring, and government aid for housing is hard to come by.
St. Clair County Housing Authority Executive Director Dave Wagner said that in Belleville, the only government-subsidized housing is for the elderly. As of this week, Wagner said, his office has a waiting list of 4,256 individuals and families in the county who want to live in public housing, and 5,606 who are waiting for Housing Choice Vouchers, commonly known as "Section 8" vouchers. He said many families apply in both categories, so there is some overlap on the two lists. He tells people they can expect to wait several years for assistance.
And even if they do make it to the top of the list for consideration, they're likely to have a tough time if they have any type of criminal history or credit destroyers, such as a foreclosure, Wagner said.
Congressional cuts in discretionary spending don't help the subsidized housing situation. Wagner said the Housing Authority uses that money for improvements to housing in St. Clair County, and they keep what they don't use in reserves.
"In a sense, we're going to spend down our reserves next year in order to keep our program going," Wagner said, adding that he doesn't anticipate any reduction in the number of vouchers available to the people who need them.
Also, Hubbard noted, family dynamics have changed. Decades ago, people's families would help them out, no matter what.
"You took them in whether there was one kid or 40," he said. "Now, so many families are dysfunctional."
No choice
Motel residents have various reasons for staying where they do. Some lost their homes in foreclosure. Others were kicked out of relatives' homes. Some are single women with children who have escaped domestic violence. Many others are chronically homeless.
In her family's case, Powell said, she and her then-husband bought a house and lost it in foreclosure several years ago. The family lived in a rental house until Powell left her husband, then lived in a couple of other motels with money donated from friends before scraping together enough money to pay their own way at the Executive Inn, where they've been for the past year. She and her boyfriend share one room, and the children sleep in the one next door.
Powell, who drives a school bus part-time, says her low income, sparse rental history, poor credit from her foreclosure, and the number of children she'd bring with her prevent her from being able to get an apartment in an area she considers suitable for raising children. But she continues to apply for rentals.
"At least we have a roof over our heads," she tells her children.
But she fears for her family's safety. The police have been called to the Executive Inn at least 20 times since the beginning of the year, according to police department records. It's difficult to say exactly how many times police responded there because police data isn't clear in some cases on whether the incident was at the motel or just near it.
The owner of the Executive Inn, through the manager there, declined to comment for this story.
Bu Patel, part owner of the Town House Motel on North Illinois Street, said that about 15 percent to 20 percent of the guests at his motel are staying for reasons other than that they're just passing through. He doesn't ask why they're there, but some of them do stay on vouchers donated by churches or other nonprofits. His weekly rate is $170 plus tax, though most people don't stay very long.
Jay Bhakta, owner of the Super 8 Motel on East Main Street, said the number of people staying long-term at his motel depends on what's going on in the metro-east. For example, during last winter's storms, when people's heaters broke or their roofs collapsed, they'd stay for a few weeks at the motel. Some are people from out of town who are doing temporary work in the area. Others are military members staying there until a house or apartment is ready. Once in awhile, homeless people stay there on donated vouchers. His weekly rate for two or three people in a room is $273 plus tax.
Bianca Herbst ended up in the Terrace Motel on South Belt West after losing her Belleville apartment when she lost her Supplemental Security Income because of a felony warrant for automobile theft years before. The motel was all she could afford because she couldn't come up with the security deposit required by most landlords.
Before the apartment, she spent several years sleeping in her car or on the streets in three states. Using crack cocaine, speed, and marijuana, she was estranged from her family in Texas, so she had no help there. She would sleep in parks or in the woods. She had a couple of stints in homeless shelters, but there were limits on how long she could stay. Often, she turned to prostitution in exchange for a little bit of money and a place to sleep.
"Sometimes people would let you stay overnight with them," said Herbst, 43. "So I was, like, with a different guy every night, you know. It was terrible. So finally being in one place has really, really helped out."
Looking ahead
Herbst has been on the Housing Authority's waiting list since 2007. She has looked for jobs but can't find anything, and she thinks that's at least partly because of her felony record. Herbst said she and her boyfriend could afford an apartment, but her boyfriend is sick with liver cirrhosis and wouldn't be able to use the stairs at an apartment. They don't have a car, so being within walking distance of the nearby QuikTrip convenience store is handy. Plus, for $580 per month, including utilities, Herbst said they can't think of a better deal. Herbst was able to regain her SSI and now she and her boyfriend each get a $574 SSI check every month.
Off drugs and prostitution and away from what she said were abusive relationships, Herbst is happy at the motel. She likes meeting the people who pass through and enjoys hearing their stories. The Terrace Motel will remain her home for now.
Powell, who will turn 35 on Monday, doesn't see any way out of the Executive Inn. She applies for apartments all the time, but she said she's in a tricky place; she doesn't make enough money to get into a decent place, but she makes too much to qualify for many types of government housing assistance. This school year just started, so it's hard to say how much money she'll be making driving the bus. But at the end of last school year, she was making $350 every two weeks, plus about $700 each month in Social Security Disability.
She has tried to make the motel feel like home. In her room, they have the television they brought with them from the old house, pictures on the walls, and make-shift furniture, such as a piece of luggage covered with a sheet to form a coffee table. But she feels bad for her children. They're teased at school, they don't get to have sleepovers with friends, and privacy has gone out the window as they're cramped in one room with their siblings.
She has a decorative scroll on the motel room wall that says "Don't Quit," followed by words of encouragement. It was a gift from a family member during a particularly rough time.
"I'll never let it go," she said. "I need it every time I try to give up."
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