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Motel Families Strategic Plan Overview

The Strategic Plan to Assist Individuals and Families Residing in Motels to Reach and Sustain Stable Housing draft was completed in January 2005. It was authored by former OC Partnership Executive Director Janine Ingram and Research Support Services Researcher Olivia de la Rocha, Ph.D. The Orange County Children and Families Commission funded the study. The purpose of the study, conducted in 2004, was to create a profile of the residents using motels as housing, determine the services they received and to create a strategic plan to move them into permanent housing.

The City of Anaheim was chosen as the site of the survey. The cooperation of the motel service providers, the city staff, the Anaheim Collaborative to Assist Motel Families, and the Anaheim Boys and Girls Club helped determine the list of motels to be surveyed and the information needed for the initial survey. A total of 26 volunteers spent approximately 360 volunteer hours interviewing over 1,000 motel residents in 40 motels scattered throughout the city. After several community forums to present the results of the survey and receive direct service provider and staff feedback, the draft report containing 34 strategies designed to assist motel families into stability was presented to key Anaheim City Staff for direct review and feedback.

Survey Highlights:
35% of individuals were children

Over 50% of families identified themselves as white, non-Hispanic.

Most families lived in Orange County before becoming homeless.

Most families had been living in a motel for approximately 30 months.

Financial loss was the single most frequently given reason for becoming homeless.