High rents and living costs have forced a Connecticut mother of two to move her family from an apartment to a hotel, adding to the list of unconventional living situations that working-class Americans must resort to in order to make ends meet.
Her story comes at a time when Democrats, including party chairman Jaime Harrison, are spreading a message of “hope and joy” as Vice President Kamala Harris takes the reins for the 2024 nomination, noted “Fox & Friends First” host Todd Piro.
“Hope and joy can’t pay my bills,” Suzanne Hayes told Piro when asked about the DNC’s message to voters.
Without making any further political statements, she continued, “I’m really just focused on myself and my family and hope that whoever is elected can make real changes both in the economy as a whole and in the housing crisis for people like me.”
Buying a home has become more expensive for Americans
Suzanne Hayes said high rental costs forced her and her family to move into a hotel. (Fox & Friends first)
Hayes relies heavily on prayer, gratitude and faith, adding that she is lucky to have a family that can help her.
Despite everything, she said, “The struggle is real.”
Her search for a new place to live began when she had 30 days to move out of her old $1,700-a-month apartment. When it came time to look for a new place to live, she was in for a shock.
“I did my due diligence and looked in all the towns in the area. I didn’t want to give up hope of finding a suitable place to live for me and my children. But I just had no luck. It wasn’t possible,” she said.
“I was faced with the reality that rents had skyrocketed since I’d last been in the industry. I was also looking at houses with two bedrooms, one less than I was used to, and costing $1,000 more a month. I quickly realized that was unrealistic for me,” she later added.
Inflation has hit families hard in recent years, and Hayes is no exception. She says rent costs are different from expenses like food and clothing because the latter have a little more money to spend.
Millennials complain that they cannot afford to own a home or rent: “This is madness”
High rental costs have burdened many Americans in recent years, forcing some to resort to other housing situations, such as shared apartments or even living in vans. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“If rent is $1,000 more a month, there’s nothing you can do,” she explained.
Having been pushed to move in with her parents, she weighed her options and began calling local hotels, where she eventually found a cheaper solution to her problem. She told Fox News that she considers her current living situation a “blessing.”
“I pulled out all the stops, sent emails to hotels in the area and found this place. Ultimately, it has been a huge blessing for me and my children.”
High rents and little hope of saving enough money to own a home have led many Americans, especially younger generations, to turn to alternative housing options.
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Some millennials, including TikToker Michael Alberse, have decided to live in vans, at least for a while, to save money for their dream of owning a home.
“I see this becoming very popular because they can get rid of the $2,000 rent burden and use that money to save for a down payment. Because the higher the depositthe lower your income to qualify,” said Orlando-based real estate agent and TikToker Freddie Smith.
But the problem also has some impact on older people: many of them are opening their homes to non-relatives to help those who want to downsize in the wake of the new “boommate” trend.
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