Summary
A growing number of Americans are seeking shelter in budget motels due to rising rents and home prices, with families experiencing cramped, unstable living conditions.
In New York’s Hudson Valley, over 550 families with children lived in motels in 2023, a 21% increase from 2018.
High costs, safety concerns, and limited housing options make escaping this cycle difficult.
Advocacy groups warn motels are an unsustainable solution as housing costs outpace wages, while waitlists for subsidized housing and vouchers remain long.
Story is about a mom and daughter with a $1,200 limit, it seems do-able to me based on a 30 second internet search.
Your 30 seconds search turned up 2 results at the limit of what this family could afford, without including the additional costs such as utilities, parking, … + all other stuff that the other person mentioned. Which means that those results are significantly outside their budget.
If their budget is 1200 $/month, then they cannot afford an apartment with that list price. My guess would be that they could afford a list price of 800 to 900 $/month, maybe 1000 $/month if a parking spot was included in the rent. But I don’t live there, so this is just a bad guess.
It’s not the limit of what the family can afford, it’s the limit at which the journalist says their problems are solved.
There are cheaper places, but I picked the two at the limit with the largest square footage.
If they can survive in a hotel room, they can get a studio apartment for $700/$800 and be cheaper than renting a hotel room.
They could go here: https://www.realtor.com/rentals/details/79-Green-St_Kingston_NY_12401_M42796-60807