On cold winter nights, we think about how to help those who are out on the streets and wonder why affordable housing is a challenge in such a wealthy society. One issue entails the type of housing available. Over 100 years ago, perhaps 30% to 50% of urban residents either rented rooms in family homes or lived in what were variously called rooming houses or boarding houses or flop houses. There, individuals, often single adults, rented a room (per perhaps just a bunk) and had a bath down the hall and perhaps had meals included for a charge…the residential equivalent of the B & B. They could be comfortable establishments or seedy older hotels. The aging Eaton Hotel was an example in Wichita in the 1960s. These lodgings could be well appointed or downright dangerous. However, they were common housing across the landscape…just read Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg or any Beat author to get a sense of what these were like.
Zoning and housing costs erased these once ubiquitous lodgings that could be had at cheap daily or weekly rates. When they were gone, those with modest means found themselves stuck between out of reach apartments, shelters, cars, or the streets. Therefore, conversations about affordable housing need to perhaps look back to types of housing that once served a segment of society…and look for a modern equivalent that may be sorely needed.