This is a documentary about single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels — places where you rent a room, but the toilet and shower are down the hall, and shared with all the other tenants. SRO’s can be a huge help in fighting homelessness, because the rooms are so much cheaper than full-fledged apartments.
Being a former SRO resident myself, I was disappointed that the filmmakers seem to think SRO life is inherently tragic. The film keeps playing sad music, and bringing back one particularly scumbag owner to let him drone on a little longer about how he dislikes his line of work and his customers.
There are some lowlifes in any SRO, sure, but it’s better for them and better for the city that they’re not on the streets.
It’s a rare topic to be addressed, and other than the moviemakers’ anti-SRO slant, the documentary is helpful and informative.
SRO’s are people’s homes. I worked during the week and had weekends off, went to the movies or whatever, same as anyone else. Some of the residents were head cases, and rarely left the building.
Rez hotels were my home for about five years, and they were good years, looking back. Where I’m living now (Seattle), SRO’s have been banned, which is a big part of the reason thousands of homeless folks own the sidewalks downtown. If SRO’s were allowed, I’d be living in one now. Can’t beat the rent.