America's Broken Dream: The Middle-Class Families Living in Motels | Poverty in the USA Documentary

[Music] at night they roam the streets of america looking for a place to sleep [Music] tonight they found a car park [Music] they joined many others of the half homeless as they're known in america those people forced to sleep in their cars or in cheap motels after having been evicted from their homes [Music] no one has counted how many americans are currently living like this but during the month we spent inside the american crisis we met hundreds the majority are from the middle class the class that for decades had been the embodiment of the american dream [Music] all right katie it's time [Music] this is morning edition from npr news good morning i'm david green there's bad news on the jobs front today the unemployment rate inched up to 8.2 percent this is the third straight month of slumping jobs numbers and it comes just as the presidential race is heating up i'm walking right down the middle of making street um [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hi how are you today [Music] have an excellent day everyone did you go through the turnstiles please what do you like in this job talking with the people having fun with the people the biggest thing [Music] and at the end of the day you're tired yes i'm tired thing is my feet are tired let's put it that way all things [Music] i'm larry dodson i work for walt disney world in orlando florida i'm 52 years old and i live with my wife and two children in a motel room in kissimmee florida and i have five children [Applause] [Music] i've had several jobs where i was in retail management and the jobs no longer exist the companies no longer exist that was something that concerned me was job security [Applause] just three years ago larry dodson managed a large customer service department he lost his job and then his house [Music] since then he has rented a room in one of the motels along the highway to disney world [Music] it cost 149 a week to stay here and i clear about 228 a week at least about 70 bucks for groceries food anything else you need clothing that type of thing this is the living room bedroom dining room right over here we got the two beds i have the built-in closet there the four of them live in this room with a few possessions they were able to save the day of their eviction and basically my son who's at work right now and uh my daughter who goes to school sandra hi hello hi we're crowded we get on each other's nerves and like i said as to getting out here we're not sure when that will happen it all depends on whether we can start getting some extra money coming in one of these could get a little more ours and we can start to uh save some money they have the rent for like a first month and security deposit you want your wheat bread to come miracle with bad well this internet's not working i know it hasn't worked all day it's got four bars shows we're not getting anything i wanted to do nope that's my uh name tag are you proud of it yeah i am proud of my name tag yeah i got a little tag on the bottom because i've started a new role so to let the guests know that i'm not normally in that position they tell me i'm earning my ears so i thought i had big enough ears as it was how long before there would be a good there's regular races i started out at 7 40 and i've gotten to i think 8 20 in two and a half years yeah no that's not the greatest but that's about the way it is anywhere 900 families now live in the cheap motels that surround the florida theme park at one time these motels were filled with tourists but now they lodge those who are no longer able to afford their own homes the managers sometimes seem like slumlords exploiting families in poverty we could only find one who was willing to talk to us what i'm doing now is totaling up my daily cells [Music] they collected them with today only 532 and what is it 34 cents that's all i collected today in rent and you are supposed to collect you should be able to collect anywhere from wow let's say about 2 000 a week you should that's four times what she is currently getting a week and every week she has to evict customers that haven't paid their rent even in a hotel right now it's hard for people to pay their rent with the economy the way it is and then companies don't want to pay you nothing but minimum wage it's not easy right now you're breaking even just walking around with him trying to put him to sleep yes he ain't going no sleep okay in this room here they have been here for a little over a year and a half it's like a permanent residence it's their home two years he's been here a year and a half this one a little over a year and a half so there's no more rooms the united states is the one that's supposed to be one of the richest countries in the world and they can't it's an embarrassment to say that we have this many homeless people but here in the last two maybe three years it's it's just widespread it just hit so hard to nothing you can't hide it and it's not just families you got older people that can't go anywhere you got seniors that's living in they're walking up and down that street out there every day don't have somewhere to go i for example i have one in my room right now she's she has nowhere to go shirley opened her home to this woman who had previously been a paying guest at the motel without anywhere to stay for five days she was sleeping on the side of the road she's 67 years old she came back which was tuesday her legs was so burned from her sitting at the bus stop all day long yeah the sun's so hot and then i'd walk around during the daytime and try to stay in the shade but it's hard you know and to find the shady spots sometimes they can be on that side of the street and then be on this side of the street it it can happen to anyone me myself i worked in the fields and i became a store clerk i stepped up but it took me a long time to step up i'm 53 years old i have no retirement i have no benefits i have nothing so it's i'm still i i assume i'm going to end up like her one day too she don't work hard and what she got nothing she had nothing yeah something is broken [Applause] all we can say is unless grease really blows up it causes a problem around the world it isn't going to get a lot better than that people so if you want a refi do it it's been 287 days since the u.s lost its top rating as well as part of the discovery among the evidence are the first uh the first photos of the neighborhood watchmen after the shooting in the one star category shirley's motel is highly sought after the rent is 800 a month and the majority of residents are from the middle class [Music] yep should i put it on top of the hill again yeah okay hey daddy you want to see if you can make one in the yeah i already did okay take two steps back one of those would you do you imagine like playing golf in a place it lets me know what i need to fix on my swing salt lake i played at hidden valley country club [Music] thank you ma'am thank you sir my name is terry i'm 42 years old i'm a consultant for a resort in orlando i've lived with my wife and six children at this motel for a little over two years now [Music] [Music] there is no normal there is no normal whatsoever before becoming half homeless terry lived what he now calls his other life as a sales manager in the car industry he was doing well until he was made redundant he did not receive any compensation as these are not mandatory in the united states i don't know if there are classes anymore in america well when the market burst and people found out that their houses were not worth what they thought they were jobs disappeared the illusion of security and stability weren't right with it ladies can i have a small spell this is not normal you're going to have thank you [Music] the family spent all of its savings on hotel rooms until six months ago when terry managed to find a part-time job in a hotel complex for eight dollars an hour forced to sell his car because he couldn't afford to pay for petrol or insurance he now takes the bus to and from work [Applause] i've definitely seen both sides of the spectrum we had a boat to water ski we went skiing went on vacations it was consumerism at its finest i guess the 1950s stereotype of america the white picket fence mom and dad we grew up you had the same job you worked there all your life you retired they took care of you those days are gone 1800 children are currently growing up in the motels that surround disney world the school bus has had to change its route to come and collect the children known in the school system as the disney motel kids they move from school to school as their parents are forced to find cheaper and cheaper accommodation [Music] your sentences in the hope of avoiding this kind of instability terry's wife decided to homeschool her four eldest children the cards need to stay over here i want to put them on the table for me so if you're telling me that you read the book but you can't remember i forget mommy so let's not forget how about you actually read the book you've been to five different schools one within the school district the only thing that would make us better would be having social friends with social friends friends friends to taco oh and recess yeah people could play i think that they were ashamed because we were living in a hotel but then we found out that there's other people living in a hotel and so at least along the strip it sure seems to be the normal thirteen-year-old ryan went through what all motel kids dread when he was placed in a foster family at the time his family was roaming from motel to motel in their car relations between terry and his wife had become strained with the pressure and eventually they were judged economically incapable of raising their six children the three eldest were placed in care i do my best to try and make sure it's not hard on them i try to keep everything on me because i'm a big brother yeah but if it's not hard on me who's it gonna be hard on my mom or my sisters i mean being the big brother when my dad's at work it feels like i'm the man of the house now so i have to do this get that done bathe the pets do the dishes and all that but yeah staying inside gives you lots of time to just think and you what do you dream of you know when you sleep at night just mostly nightmares and stuff yeah just dreaming of how we got token into foster care and all that that all the stress is going to make my mom and dad lose their temper or something and we might get tooken away and i'm i don't want to get separated from my family not again with them all playing together just fills me up go ahead go ahead and play the parents have to accept that for the moment there is no support or help for them during the weeks we spent with these families we only came across one social worker in the county and she was supposed to be monitoring around 1800 children [Music] at age 30 terry's wife gave up work so she could take care of their six children but last year she began looking for work again in every restaurant in the area so now every night after dinner with the children she works in a restaurant opposite the motel her pay varies if there are no customers she gets to go home early but her pockets will be empty [Music] [Music] it's almost never been used in this way and i thank god at night that we're okay yeah we spent a few nights in a van that wasn't enough no oklahoma in the winter that got chilly and you think you're safe from that happening again no you're never gonna be safe i think out of the last seven families to move out of here one went into a house and they only lasted in the house three months and they're living out of their vehicle now shelters here are always to capacity and during the summer a lot of them close and there is no safety net for poor like they say there is it doesn't exist without any safety net to catch these people as their situations worsen those that no longer have the means to pay for their motel will go from half homeless to completely homeless they often then migrate to the states where the social services still have a minimal presence california is the most popular destination [Music] go get your bucket sweetheart okay sister's [Music] by the shower [Music] katie don't you walk away from us mommy will change you in the car i'm amber i'm 21. i live in san diego california i have two beautiful children one year old and a three year old and we've been in our car for four months here in san diego amber and her husband used to work in a hotel in las vegas when they lost their jobs they came to california to try their luck they tried all the shelters but no one could house them their move good job there was no other option there was no one who could house us and i wanted we wanted to stay together i didn't expect it to last long two months tops look katie remember that day for the first time [Music] sister and mommy ten days ago her husband found a job on the other side of the united states their father is working in kentucky he just wasn't getting any jobs here and he'll be sending money whenever he gets paid and also he'll be saving up money so when when his job is done he can come back and we can get a place amber's husband crossed the country alone by bus they knew that their old car wouldn't last the three thousand kilometer journey [Music] this is c street we're under the bridge where a lot of homeless people live america's changed there is always a little bit of homeless a little bit of people that didn't have a job but this is crazy those who have nothing sleep on the streets by the dozens [Music] for the last year a charity has organized this car park so that those who have managed to keep their cars can stay here at night we saw similar things all along the west coast the last refuge of these desperate people who are flocking to california this car park in san diego led by a church opens every day at six pm nancy vera a volunteer spends the night here three times a week we had like a nurse at one point we had a teacher we had a dental hygienist you know and so she was i mean they were used to making good money like they were used to being comfortable so that's why i say we do get some first time homeless and we don't have as many people moving out so it is full definitely so we try to kind of work with what we have already are you going to park here i'm gonna go do this car and get those kids out [Music] kdn stay in the car okay it's like a mountain [Music] come here let me put your helmet on there are 20 parking spots but about 30 cars squeeze in the occupants must leave by 6 a.m the majority heading to their place of work or to look for work hey how was your day good day so what you do got some resumes out today it works positive hopefully i got college business administration and hotel restaurant management but this is my studio on wheels studio on wheels here we go the reality doesn't really set in right it's like wow i actually don't have a home to go to where's mom and dad and mom and dad are you know maybe alive but they're not in the same city so you know and you're for your friends with your friends that will help you out you can go take a shower maybe your friend's house but you feel kind of obligated you know i mean every day i mean every other day you know it's hard to i have a hard time asking if i can get clean and i'm a pretty go-getter guy i've worked since i was 14 years old i'm like 52 now then coming in may i'm thinking about retiring but i don't know there's gonna be anything left you know they're probably too young they say 62 to 65 to 60 almost 70 but it's just there's so many people in this situation that it's just it's not really the statistics aren't there i'm saying it's kind of a hidden thing and i don't know why the government doesn't attack it or look at it [Music] oh [Laughter] [Music] there you go [Music] ready to go to sleep [Music] i'm uh fortifying the car yes so i get privacy here if you want to see how our bed is like my own cave in there pretty much with 16 ounces it's time for nanai okay yes i'll take you to the park tomorrow i promise someone do lights out in a little bit okay do you think you need a few minutes um no i just got to get in with them and okay sounds good good night good night thank you get on in there girlfriend i know you do [Music] [Music] don't you say those words men of the lord just helped us tonight you don't have to do that we're not a daddy anymore [Music] we will get a house and she will sleep in a real bed in her own room [Music] one day not happy anymore [Music] kedian come here please thank you yes but i want you to sit down because mommy's going in to fill out applications and i don't need you to be running around the hotel because they won't hire me come on please don't you're not tired of me right in you have to be good for me i'm trying to get a job you understand me [Music] they're not going to hire me if they think my kids are rambunctious [Music] i was wondering if you're hiring or accepting applications a list of the posted positions and applications okay thank you come on katie did you poop wonderful cassidy come here capacity stop what [Music] stop touching stuff sorry about that she's fine [Music] okay look i'm not doing this anymore i can't do it get the keys come on okay because i have to deal with both of my children while i'm trying to fill out job applications and it's just not possible [Music] mommy being in the car all day in and out in and out they're very happy when they get out but soon after they get out they have to get back in and that's very hard thanks [Music] a few years ago these fields were full of horses 3 000 kilometers from california kentucky was the capital of horse racing in the united states the economic crisis hit the owners hard and now the fields are practically deserted [Music] those who can afford to try to maintain their farms in a decent state and that is what brought amber's husband daniel so far from his family yeah pretty lonely out there in the farm it's the only outlet yeah you've been touched with that amber yeah oh yeah send her pictures show the kids especially the horses and the ponies and whatnot she like she just giggles little baby grosses katie just giggles about everything she's a sweetheart [Music] just six months ago daniel carter was employed in a hotel in las vegas today he repairs fences going from farm to farm for 10 hours a day his boss calls him at night to let him know whether he's needed the next day [Laughter] oh he's a good worker his worth is just unreal for a young man yeah man i don't know how many weeds he cut i mean but that it was he just kept getting boy i'm telling you i'd like to find about four or five like him that's got his worth ethic but that's all he talks about some of the little kids he is yeah so you know that one day he's gonna yeah yeah i don't blame him no not a bit no sir your family comes first and everything else just gets there when it can well that's y'all's old text messages just wondering i had three torture being away from the little girls blind hair blue eyes gorgeous little things i can't help but come out here and work for him so you know it was rough out there you know just looking at him every day not being able to find work out there and you know it was hard to sit there can't sit make nothing happen [Applause] stuck in the house before today this is the awesomeness chris is bad my bad got a shower right there that's uh that's a winner we built that ourselves you know amber you all right yeah everything's fine okay well i can't wait to come see y'all we can't wait to see you we love you very much you're gonna let me talk to my baby girl here in a second yeah you can talk katie hey baby girl i love you i love you too sweetie i'm coming to see you daddy misses you i love you okay be sweet all right bye i gotta stay strong for the kids because you're supposed to be a rock no choice uh uh like i said just just being able to work i don't care what it is i'm doing weed eating i don't care working horses i don't care doing all these fences just i just don't care what it is i go pick up dog poop i wouldn't care um i just like i keep saying it's just a blessing to be able to work there's a lot of people out there that can't find jobs or forget your pride and i mean oh you gotta swallow that down those aren't enough days for a product what's that word mean not to google that later uh no really uh yeah yeah you gotta just just nod your head and yes and uh just do just be an act background [Applause] hey nancy oh you look fresh uh it's great there's lots of work out there okay yeah just to stay motivated yeah i think the girls are resting cassidy was sleeping or something and then hey sweetie give me kissy [Music] hey hi daddy hey girl come here hey hey give me oh what you think girl ally howie's oh yeah she's way more vocal this one's walking standing no problem yeah how's it all going for you as far as looking for work no looking for work not so good not so good i had the interview and nobody called me back right i left a message yeah did you you checked out their studio yet you said that he's looking for a male because there's already a ml living in that apartment again again well we'll just be here a little bit daddy wanted to spend some time with you at the beach cassidy cassidy katie don't grab her you know the water comes in they'll be told about it but i mean just that mommy and daddy were struggling and that we moved out to california and we continued to struggle for a little bit but we got our minds right got on the right track and here we are today hopefully hopefully everything will still be great when um when when we tell them [Music] after this reunion daniel went back to kentucky for work one month later he sent us some great news amber and the girls had at last found a place in a shelter we were supposed to go and find them to see how they were doing and to wrap up our investigation into america in crisis and then everything fell apart [Music] a 39 year old bourbon county man who police say was brutally attacked by a man with a hatchet last night has died the man police have charged with the brutal attack is daniel carter he told lax 18 he was acting in self-defense daniel says that one night a man who lived in another caravan near his came at him with a post and attacked him he maintains that the man was drunk and ready to kill him daniel took a hatchet and fatally struck the other man according to daniel it was the only way to save his life two witnesses support his story he's awaiting trial in a detention center in kentucky we were able to meet with him on the condition that he didn't talk about what had happened [Music] have you had a chance to talk to uh yeah i just i just called him today you know she she always says i miss you and we hope to see you soon and this is just worrying about them worrying about their safety and and just you know worrying about amber and because this guy is going to be double hard on her now and you know bless her heart i mean she uh she she's being really positive and really strong and that's helping me be really positive and really strong so but there's not much of a positive spin i can put on this um besides the fact that it it helps me gives me time to think and realize you know how much i do care for my family and and uh how much of a blessing it is to actually be in the same area um yeah i guess i'd rather be poor within my life man this is this is ridiculous you know [Music] [Music] mommy's kinda gotta watch cassie baby amber was living in this shelter with her daughters when she learned of daniel's arrest she had just found a room in a hotel for four months in the hope of using the stability to find work and somewhere to live it's there that we met her two months after the last weekend she spent with her husband there's her bed in my they need to be happy and be kids and they don't need to know bad things nah i try to keep my emotions shut until they're asleep if the economy was better and one of us found work here and everything would have been avoided everything uh you know it's a pretty big tread that all this happened the car was supposed to be the low point and but now this this pretty much the low point of him being in jail and away from the kids it's hard for them the kids because katien asks where's daddy where's daddy he's at work i have to remind her i have to remind her how good a man he is because he's not here to show her i just wish that everybody else would know that and see that he's a good man it's just things happen things happen to everybody i don't know what to say about it if the jury believes his self-defense theory daniel carter will be freed immediately otherwise he may spend the rest of his life in prison [Music] back in florida larry keeps on waiting for a promotion that would allow his family to finally leave the motel terry and his wife will soon have enough savings to rent a studio in orlando where they plan to move into after christmas they firmly believe that they will be able to work their way up again and that one day the american dream will live again [Music] [Music] okay okay okay okay okay [Music] okay [Music] okay [Music] okay okay you

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Length: 53min 50sec (3230 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 02 2021