residents of the mark twain hotel

by ben lowy

For many ex-cons, former addicts, and poverty-line peoples, flophouses such as the Mark Twain Hotel are a last resort. The hotel becomes a community, in so much an urban suburbia. It is a home to those who fell from the middle class or whose life has followed the unfortunate spiral of poverty. The flophouse in itself is a vanishing breed, a halfway house with more freedom and trust in its residents. These establishments are slowly disappearing across America, and with it, a chance for people to themselves up and hope for something better.