I can no longer pay for this hotel. I've exhausted all my financial resources
So where do me and my child go? --... this big Afro --You don’t know anything about Afros. --I used to have hair at one time. My name is James Berger. I'm a single father. Right now we are at Sonesta Simply Suites. We've been living here
for five months, temporarily, while we wait for housing. -- You ready little girl? -- Here, take this water. I was living with a relative. The relative got evicted. I was told that I'm not eligible for any type of shelter
or anything of that nature because I make above $1700 monthly. I would be all right by myself as a man. I would be able to wing it. but I don't feel comfortable
putting her in a rooming house. So I've been paying $821
weekly since November 2. --I’ll see you later, sweetheart. I worked a lot of overtime, which I'm grateful for
because it paid for the room. I worked 16 hours a day, five days a week
for approximately three and a half months. I would have to get up at 4:30 to get me and my daughter ready. My daughter would have to come with me to my job. Then, around 8:45 I would drop her off at school, return back to my job site, I would leave again
to go pick her up from school. Then she would come with me to my job. Housing is so unpredictable, So sometimes
the lists will move really, really slow, And you could be on it
for 10+ years, to something changes, funding comes through
and then all of a sudden you're getting called like,
‘Oh, you're at the top of the list.’ --We're not going to give up. And we're not, we're pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing. --We can't keep going like this. --No, not at all. You know, now, unfortunately, the hours that he works at work, he was taking his daughter with him
because he didn't have a babysitter. And unfortunately, the job was like,
you know, we try to work with you as much as we can,
but we can no longer have her here. So until you can find child care,
they suspended him from work, which then affects him
being able to pay for this hotel. I'm at the end of the financial stability aspect. I can't cover this past next Friday. I've got to be concerned for my daughter. And it's been long and exhausting.
I just want her in a place where she feels stable. She's not saying it,
but she pays attention, because all day long she asks me, ‘Are you ok? You need a hug?’ I know what that is. That’s her checking on my stability,
making sure I'm all right. It’s nice staying in the hotel, we have a gym downstairs. It’s Princess Monkey. They’re all my children. It’s been a lot of change, it has. What has that felt like? It’s been a little stressful. What do you like best about being here with your dad? I’m never bored. I’m never bored. I get most of my dances from YouTube. My daughter's theatrical, she's loving, upbeat, she worries about me a lot. --It looks like chickens to me. Number 20. One of our favorite families. If there's not a unit,
which there’s not going to be on the day when he can’t pay the hotel bill,
can we do something so he doesn't have to spend the night
in the emergency room? We made all these phone calls,
we submitted all these documents. This man has done
everything you've asked him to do, and we're still in this waiting game,
like what is the issue? --...one win. --at least you got your one win? That might be your last one, let’s go. I made a promise to her that I'm going to be there for her. I’m going to raise her, so we have, we have a strong bond. Everything I'm working towards is to be able to look in the mirror at the 65-year-old
me and say, ‘You did everything right.’ --...unlucky deck and you know it. I put her in a position to be all right. That's what I'm trying to change. --I got a zero. --I know you do, but guess what? --What? --No!!! [Laughter] What’s going on in Georgia? How are you and how is Jamilla doing? I’m in a good place, Stephanie. I’m happy, my daughter’s happy. She has more support here, so she’s happy. Everything happens for a reason. So I’m where I’m supposed to be at.
