Liminal Living at an Extended Stay Hotel: Feeling "Stuck" in a Housing Solution

Authors

Terri Wingate-Lewinson, Georgia State University
June Gary Hopps, University of Georgia
Patricia Reeves, University of Georgia

Keywords

Affordable housing, extended-stay hotel, liminality, social work

Abstract

As a result of unaffordable housing, many of America's working poor are forced to seek shelter in hotels to avoid homelessness. The concept of liminality has been used in discussions of place to describe the subjective experience of feeling in-between two states of being. Research is scant on the liminal experiences of low-income hotel residents, who are culturally invisible in society. This paper draws from data qualitatively collected via semi-structured interviews from ten low-income residents living in an extended-stay hotel. Descriptions of these residential experiences are presented along with recommendations for social workers practicing with families in this liminal situation.

Recommended Citation

Wingate-Lewinson, Terri; Hopps, June Gary; and Reeves, Patricia (2010) "Liminal Living at an Extended Stay Hotel: Feeling "Stuck" in a Housing Solution," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 37: Iss. 2, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3512
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol37/iss2/2