Timothy Walters, a head custodian in Albany, New York, lived in Hackett Middle School for six months after deciding to skip his commute home. Walters, 36, stated he had nowhere else to go after living with his sister and her boyfriend became untenable. He was paying child support for his four teenage children and could not afford his own place.
In May, the Albany City School District suspended Walters without pay during an investigation, and he resigned on June 23, as confirmed by district spokesman Ron Lesko. Walters had converted a fourth-floor room above the auditorium into a makeshift apartment, equipped with beds, a mini fridge, and furniture. He occasionally hosted his children during custody weekends when no one was around to notice.
His situation came to light during an unrelated investigation into custodians suspected of falsifying overtime claims. Although Walters was not accused of any wrongdoing related to overtime, security footage revealed his constant presence in the school. Walters explained that he had previously allowed his sister to believe he had found a legitimate apartment.
He described the makeshift living space as having a futon bed and old furniture that he cleaned out to make room for his own items. Walters noted that his $64,000 salary, which could rise to about $80,000 with overtime, was insufficient to cover his expenses.
“I knew what I was doing was wrong,” Walters said. “But I didn’t know what to do. When your back is against the wall, sometimes you end up making choices you probably shouldn’t have made.” Currently, Walters is living with an uncle in a trailer park and is on a waiting list for his own place, while he has received two job offers. Local police initially charged him with trespassing, but those charges were later dropped. His sister has set up a GoFundMe campaign to assist him in finding new housing.