Old Motels Find New Life as Affordable Housing
Old motels are being transformed into affordable homes.
According to Marketplace, Washington is CEO of LifeStyles of Maryland, a nonprofit housing provider in Southern Maryland. Southern Crossing is the new name of what had been a classic 1950s motel. This two-bedroom apartment used to be three separate motel rooms. The door opens to a large kitchen, stocked with donated furniture and supplies.
“Our idea about this is that when families move in, these places are fully furnished,” she said. “From the dishes, pots and pans, everything is here.”
When it opens this fall, Southern Crossing will offer transitional housing, up to two years, for low-income people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence or other crises.
“And so hopefully, when they move out, they can take all of those things with them,” Washington said. “We want to make sure everybody starts off with the tools they need to stabilize their household.”
Built in 1953, the White House Motel was something in its day, with a three-story main structure reminiscent of its more famous namesake, flanked by low brick buildings with white columns. Old postcards show a big neon sign out front and a grand lobby with a plush red carpet and chandelier.
In the 1950s and ’60s, this area was known as Maryland’s “Little Vegas.”
“Nothing but motels and gambling, down this whole 301 strip,” Washington said.
But in 1968, gambling was outlawed in the county. Then, Washington said, new interstate highways diverted travelers from what had been the main route south from Baltimore to Virginia, “and so those places started to become obsolete.”
The motel has been vacant since 2010. When her group took over, Washington said the beds were still made.
“We thought, we’ll just take that motel and put some paint on it and, you know, shampoo the stuff that’s there and move people right on in,” she said. “Boy, were we so wrong.”
