I read a book last year on homelessness and one focus was on extended stay hotels. In my own ignorance, I hadn't thought about them being used in place of regular housing. Because people can't qualify for mortgages or pull together a deposit for an apartment, they end up spending so much more paying week to week while having less rights and a less stable community.
After finishing the book, I remember thinking how the US is just perfectly set up to profit from desperate people. I'm really lucky and escaped poverty, but I remember my mom taking payday loans, just the overwhelming worry that came from barely having enough, and the panic attacks I had each semester of college as I cobbled together a means to pay tuition.