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Riding the Motel 22: Homeless in California

‘Motel 22’ is an unusual shelter for California’s homeless people. It’s the bus which provides overnight respite for those who have fallen on hard times.

‘Motel 22’ is an unusual shelter for California’s homeless people. The state is one of the wealthiest in America, yet it has the largest population of homeless people – more than 151,000 – in the US. In Silicon Valley, bus route 22 runs an endless loop from Palo Alto to the Valley’s biggest city, San Jose. Along the way, it passes some of the world’s biggest tech giants: Google, Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Facebook. It is the Valley’s only all night bus and many of its night-time passengers ride to keep warm and sleep. For Assignment, Sarah Svoboda takes a ride on the bus, known to many as ‘Motel 22’, to hear the stories of its travellers.

(Image: Homeless people riding bus route 22. Credit: John Landy/BBC)

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27 minutes

Last on

Sat 22 Feb 202016:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Thu 20 Feb 202013:32GMT
  • Thu 20 Feb 202018:06GMT
  • Thu 20 Feb 202021:06GMT
  • Thu 20 Feb 202023:06GMT
  • Fri 21 Feb 202002:32GMT
  • Fri 21 Feb 202003:32GMT
  • Sat 22 Feb 202016:06GMT

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