LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Lawrenceville city officials want to crack down on how long people can stay at local hotels.
Some local families say that could put them out on the streets.
For 14 years, Lawrenceville has had an ordinance that limits stays at hotels and motels to 45 days.
Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh spoke to several families at the Metro Extended Stay Hotel on Buford Drive that said tough times have forced them to move in, and in some cases, stay for years. They said without hotels, they would be homeless.
Ten-year-old Byron Wilson showed Kavanaugh how he spreads three couch cushions on the floor to create a bed.
"I take them out, three of them, and spread them on the ground," said Wilson.
He said the parking lot of hotel is where is he plays.
"I just go outside and ride my bike around the buildings," Wilson said.
To many, this one room isn't much, but Byron's family says it's better than the streets.
"We have got no where to go," said his father, Samuel Boothe.
Boothe said he never expected to be in the hotel for long when they moved in 2 1/2 years ago.
It's that type of stay that Lawrenceville Councilman Tony Powell said he wants to crack down on. By phone, he told Kavanaugh that cramming so many people in a small motel room is a definite health hazard. He also said there are other options in the city, including public housing.
But local homeless advocates say the stricter enforcement of the ordinance could leave families with no where else to go.
"The extended stay hotel has become the de facto homeless shelter in Gwinnett County," said Ellen Gerstein with the Gwinnett Coalition.
She said the foreclosure crisis has created a growing population of homeless families in Gwinnett County.
"The majority of the homeless in Gwinnett county are children, and the average age is between 5 and 6," Gerstein said.
Gerstein acknowledges that the crime can be an issue in the hotels, but she wants officials to crack down on criminals, not families.
"They're not criminals, and they're not causing any problems," she said of the average family.
Powell said the Lawrenceville city attorney is leading the effort to enforce the ordinance. He has requested the stay records of the eight hotels and motels in the city. Powell said four have not cooperated.