How many times have you driven past a motel and asked the question, “I wonder what goes on in there day to day?”

Several months ago, WGNS visited some of the dirtiest and most dangerous motels in Rutherford County. The reason… we wanted to highlight the fact that the people who live in many of the motels are doing the best they can and are sometimes living only one step above homelessness. We once again visited motels in our area to further dive into the living arrangements of a variety of people.

(See pictures for this most recent visit HERE)

This past week we met great single moms who love and protect their children, persons on fixed incomes struggling to pay for both food and a roof over their head, disabled residents who can barely get out of bed, drug dealers, sex offenders, travelers and more… all living in area motels. We are not naming the motels we visited to protect the privacy of those who call their room “home.”

Some are raising one, two and even up to four children in a single motel room with only a bed and a sofa.

Paying rent is the struggle. Some have to pay daily because they are working day labor type jobs, others have found steady employment and are paying weekly. Rent at the hotels in Rutherford County and in Antioch, range in price between $560 and $900 monthly. If you pay by the day, you could end up spending as much as $1,200 per month at what are considered to be low rent motels.

Some who live in Motels are disabled, but they say they don’t have the means for better living arraignments...

To move into a real apartment or a home, you have to have money for an electric department deposit, water department and gas company deposit. You also have to pay a deposit on the apartment and first months rent. That can easily add up to over $1,000.

Some are short term visitors while others may live in a motel for the remainder of their life. We asked a few, “How long have you lived here?”

We also asked, “Where do you want to be in the future?”

Living in a motel does not make someone bad, as some may automatically assume. Most of the residents are simply trying to make ends meet.

Past news story:

See our PICTURES for the above visit HERE.

See our past Motel report HERE

See full size pictures of our last news story