The Overlooked World of Elderly SRO Tenants: A Geographical Exploration

211 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988.The focus of this thesis is to provide a geographical exploration of the overlooked world of elderly Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel tenants. These hotels represent a dilapidated and deteriorating component of the housing stock in the U.S. A significant number of poor elderly find themselves living in this housing. The objectives of this thesis are to document the geographical experience of elderly SRO tenants, to identify the constraints that limit this population's daily existence, to identify the localized resources this population relies upon, and to analyze how this elderly SRO population copes with neighborhood change and its impact on their lives. The exploratory nature of this research demanded that a broad and flexible approach be adopted. Data was collected in a case study location, over a two-year period, using participant observation. This data is presented by first describing the SRO hotels, the elderly tenants, and their habitual geographies. This population is shown to have few resources with regard to financial or physical capabilities, limited social networks, and even fewer alternatives. The overlooked world of the elderly tenants is a world of resignation in the face of overwhelming constraints. A model incorporating the limits upon the geographical experience is suggested to broaden public policy understanding and initiatives.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD