People turn to SROs to save money

A number of New Yorkers who want to live alone but can’t afford it have
settled on moving into single-room-occupancy buildings, and sharing
bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms with other people. Many landlords
of SRO buildings try to convert them into private apartments, according
to Marti Weithman, the director of the West Side SRO Law Project of
Goddard Riverside Community Center, but the conversion is not an easy
process and requires city inspections. According to the Census Bureau’s
Housing and Vacancy Survey, the city has two million rental units, and
about 10,000 have no private toilet, and 9,300 share a kitchen.
However, since many of the rooming houses are illegal, there isn’t an
accurate count.