What does SRO stand for during the Great Depression? What do SROs have to do with the book Bud, Not Buddy?

Truthfully, this question has more to do with the Great Depression and the United States in the 1930s than it does with the book Bud, Not Buddy. SRO stands for “Single Room Occupancy,” but cannot be found anywhere in the book. Many SROs were created in big cities, such as Grand Rapids Michigan and New York City, in order to combat the housing crisis. SROs were the government's answer to low-income housing because, quite...

Truthfully, this question has more to do with the Great Depression and the United States in the 1930s than it does with the book Bud, Not Buddy. SRO stands for “Single Room Occupancy,” but cannot be found anywhere in the book. Many SROs were created in big cities, such as Grand Rapids Michigan and New York City, in order to combat the housing crisis. SROs were the government's answer to low-income housing because, quite frankly, most people during the Great Depression made little or no income. People during this time made so little money that they could not afford a regular home or multiple-room apartments. The government’s solution was to create SROs so that less people would become homeless. It is entirely possible that people like Mr. Lefty Lewis inhabited an SRO. SROs could also hold small families. Therefore, it is also entirely possible that Bud and his mother lived in an SRO before she died.  However, we know the band did not live in an SRO because Bud is put to bed by Miss Thomas in a separate room, and no band members join him.