They’re not homeless, for now. But many Lakeland residents are just one stroke of misfortune away, including hundreds — maybe thousands — of people living full-time in budget motels.
Hurricane survivors: Some are hurricane survivors whose stays have been covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency since mid-October. A FEMA spokesman said Thursday that the agency is still paying for 426 rooms in Lakeland, down from 716 rooms on Dec. 18.
The maximum length of FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance is 180 days from when an emergency is declared. That means housing aid for the 426 families and individuals will end on April 9, with check-out by April 10, the agency said.
The Homeless Coalition of Polk County is bracing for a possible uptick in homelessness when that happens, Executive Director Bridget Engleman said.
Three counties heavily impacted by Hurricane Ian in 2022 — Charlotte, Collier and Lee — reported a 70% increase in homelessness the following year.
Working poor: Some longterm motel residents are employed but can’t afford the costs of renting an apartment. Landlords typically require an application fee, a security deposit and the first and last months’ rent. That can add up to $4,000 or more.
The least expensive motels in Lakeland charge $350 to $425 a week, before the 12% tax is added. In the short term, that can be more manageable for low-wage workers living paycheck to paycheck. But paying $1,600 a month for a motel room — which is more than many apartments cost — leaves little room to save money for more stable housing.
Evictions and other barriers: Another group of longterm motel residents is working people with a previous eviction or run-in with the law. Even if they can cobble together the upfront costs for an apartment, credit or background checks often torpedo their chances of getting a lease.
Motel living takes a toll, especially on kids
When a fire broke out at the Imperial Swan Hotel & Suites last month, displacing the occupants of about 100 rooms, many of those scrambling to find alternate accommodation were women with young children.
Hotels or motels are often a last resort for low-income families. Many only intend to stay for a short time but end up stuck there for months, which can lead to financial, physical and mental health problems.
Polk County Public Schools reported that it currently has 528 students countywide living in motels or hotels — 525 of them with their families and three as unaccompanied youth.
Challenges of motel-living include:
- High cost — Motel rates are often higher than apartment rent, and owners can raise them at any time. The original price is only guaranteed for the length of the reservation.
- Uncertainty — Motels can give the room to someone else if demand is high or the resident is late paying, forcing people to move out with little notice.
- Limited space — Rooms are often cramped, lacking privacy and quiet spaces. This can strain family relationships and increase aggression and anxiety in children.
- Sleep difficulties — Bed-sharing, different sleep schedules and noise from family members or outside sources can make it hard to get enough rest.
- Health concerns — Low-cost motels sometimes have poor living conditions, including mold, insect infestations and ventilation problems.
- Food insecurity — Basic rooms often lack refrigerators or cooking amenities, forcing families to rely on expensive takeout meals or unhealthy packaged foods.
- Developmental delays — Studies show children in unstable housing situations are more likely to have speech delays and behavioral issues.
- Exposure to crime — Some properties have high crime rates, potentially exposing children to violence and unsafe environments. In Lakeland, at least three sex offenders are registered at budget motels on Memorial Boulevard and South Florida Avenue.
Hurricane survivors face two steps forward, one step back
In some ways, Ann Stidham, 53, and Steven Speckhardt, 61, are very lucky. The 560-square-foot mobile home that Speckhardt grew up in and inherited from his parents was badly damaged by Hurricanes Irma in 2017 and Ian in 2022, then rendered completely uninhabitable by Hurricane Milton in October.
But after years of living with mold, leaks, holes in the floor, a sagging foundation and ramshackle outbuildings, they are slated to get a new home.
The couple, who are raising their 14- and 17-year-old grandsons, are among about a dozen homeowners approved for “demolition and reconstruction” assistance from Polk County’s Housing and Neighborhood Development department this year.
Their mobile home on Faye Street, which was built in 1965, is scheduled to be razed this week. A construction company hired by the county will build a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in its place. The new house should be ready by August. That’s exciting and nerve-wracking for Stidham.
“We’ve never had anything new,” she explained. She can’t wait to have a working oven and stove for the first time in years. But she’s anxious about the homeowners’ insurance they must get before they can move in. She also worries about where they’ll stay until August and how much longer their temperamental 1995 Chevrolet Impala will keep running.
The family of four has shared a motel room — first at the Imperial Swan Hotel & Suites and now at the Lake Wire Inn — since Oct. 16. When their FEMA housing assistance ends on April 9, they will need shelter for at least four months.
The county gave them a one-time $3,850 relocation grant, which could buy them about two months in a motel. But the two months after that are frightening. And Stidham and Speckhardt are hoping to save as much of the money as possible to pay for their homeowner’s insurance.
They are both disabled — he’s a former roofer with severely degenerated discs in his spine; she has Type 2 diabetes, neuropathy and thyroid problems. They barely make ends meet with their disability checks and about $330 a month in food stamps.
“The county recommends that people stay with family members to save money, but we don’t have any family to stay with,” she said.
Help after FEMA aid ends
If you need help finding housing after eligibility for FEMA aid ends:
- Dial 211, a nationwide 24/7 referral line that connects people to health, human and social services. In Polk, Hardee and Highlands Counties, it is managed by United Way of Central Florida.
- Contact Hope Florida online or by phone at 833-GET-HOPE (833-438-4673). It is staffed by “Hope Navigators” who connect people with government, nonprofit, private sector or faith-based organizations that can help.
Stable job, but no home
Yasceli Lamar, 39, works at the front desk of a local pediatric practice, often six days a week. She’s proud to be earning a good wage in a job she finds satisfying. It’s a big accomplishment for her. She was in two serious car accidents less than three years apart.
In late 2019, she lived in Miami and was taking Uber to work when another car slammed into it, pinning her in the rear passenger seat of the Uber driver’s Ford Focus.
“I remember them closing down the road to get me out,” she said. “I knew something was wrong because I couldn’t physically move my leg.”
Lamar needed three back surgeries after that accident, but she says the second crash in April 2022 was even worse. That time, she was behind the wheel of a rental car when another driver hit her head-on. Lamar suffered a concussion, brain injury, burns to her left foot and debilitating post-traumatic stress.
She moved from Miami to Orlando a few months after the accident, hoping for a fresh start. In 2023, she met her boyfriend, a long-haul truck driver from Polk County, and they got an apartment in Kissimmee.
But Lamar struggled with daily tasks and couldn’t drive without panicking. She had to take Ubers 40 minutes each way to her job in Orlando. She fell into a deep depression and got fired from her job for being unreliable. Not long afterward, they were evicted from the apartment.
Lamar still has some mobility and memory issues, but she said she’s doing much better now. She drives her boyfriend’s car when he’s on the road and her job is going well.
She said she’d love to get an apartment again, “but they won’t approve us because of my eviction.” So for now, she lives in a motel room and works to keep her spirits up.
“This is a mild setback for a major comeback,” Lamar said.
Affordable housing help
If you are living in a motel, facing eviction or “doubled up” with family or friends, the Homeless Coalition of Polk County might be able to help.
- Visit polkhomeless.org
- Call (863) 687-8386
- Email prevention@polkhomeless.org
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting initiative is made possible by the Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
