Aiding the ‘Motel Homeless’

High rents in Orange County prevent many middle- and lower-income people from finding a place to live, a situation in which the county can take no pride.

But even more frustrating is the plight of many other people who, although they can meet a monthly rent payment, are still forced to sleep in motels, their cars, parks or any other flat place they can find because they can’t scrape together enough money to pay the first and last months’ rents, security deposit and utility hookup fee usually required for any rental.

Those people, sometimes called the “motel homeless,” are receiving some help in the Orange County Community Development Council’s Lease Assistance Revolving Program, which lends up to $1,500 to qualified families to help pay the high initial costs of renting. The program is believed to be the only one of its kind offered by any public agency in California.

As such, it was obvious that the pilot project would be well-received. Hundreds of people have applied. It was also obvious that the $60,000 federal grant that launched the program wouldn’t go far. No more than45 families who meet the strict eligibility requirements of income and age will be able to obtain 18-month loans to help cover 90% of all move-in costs except the first month’s rent, which tenants must pay out of pocket.

That will barely dent the need. A 1984 countywide survey of hotels and motels found a minimum of 3,500 “motel homeless,” some of whom earn as much as $11 an hour but still must live in motels and pay high weekly and monthly rates because they cannot put aside enough money to pay rental deposits.

But the lease assistance loan program is at least a start. Seeing how well it is accepted, and how much it is needed, federal and state officials should set aside more funds so that more people can leave their motel rooms for real homes. It’s a loan program that provides help, not handouts. That deserves a greater investment than what has been made thus far.