The school custodian had no money for an apartment - the solution he found cost him his job
A middle school custodian in New York secretly lived for half a year in an abandoned room at the school and even hosted his four children there on weekends. After being exposed on security footage, he resigned, explaining that financial difficulties and heavy expenses left him unable to rent an apartment.
An unusual and thought-provoking story from New York reveals how far a housing crisis and heavy financial pressure can lead to desperate measures: Timothy Walters (36), who worked for 17 years in the Albany school system, resigned from his job as head custodian at William S. Hackett Middle School after it was discovered that he had been secretly living inside the school for half a year — and even hosting his children there.
The deception was exposed at the end of April quite by accident. Officials were reviewing security footage as part of an internal investigation into claims of fictitious overtime hours by other employees. Investigators noted that while Walters did not submit fake time reports, the security footage unexpectedly revealed his constant presence at night and after school hours.
While disciplinary action was taken against colleagues who lied about their working hours, officials considered firing Walters immediately — but he chose to resign himself following an unpaid suspension.
"A serious error in judgment"
For six months, Walters lived in an improvised setup in a room on the fourth floor of the school that had not been used for years. He furnished the place with several beds, a sofa, and a mini-fridge, and even allowed his four children to sleep with him on weekends when the campus was empty and did not arouse suspicion.
In a conversation with the New York Post, Walters admitted that he made "a serious error in judgment," but noted that no damage was done to the building. He said he felt "backed into a corner" due to financial difficulties: his base salary was $64,000, and the overtime supplement brought his income to about $80,000 a year, but the high costs of alimony and ongoing expenses for his four children left him unable to rent an apartment of his own.
"I knew what I was doing was wrong," he said.
Before moving into the school, he shared an apartment with his younger sister and her partner, but he left due to tensions at home. His family was convinced at the time that he had moved into a legal apartment of his own.
From school to uncle's trailer
Following his resignation, local police filed a trespassing case, but the charge was later dropped. Walters is now living with his uncle in a trailer park while awaiting a permanent housing solution and considering two new job offers. At the same time, his sister launched an online fundraiser to help him and his family recover from the crisis and get back on their feet.
