New York School Custodian Secretly Lived Inside Middle School for Six Months

ALBANY, New York — A New York school custodian managed to secretly turn an unused room inside the middle school where he worked into a makeshift apartment — and lived there for roughly six months without school officials knowing.

Timothy Walters, 36, had worked for Albany schools for 17 years and was the head custodian at Hackett Middle School. He said financial pressure and a lack of affordable housing left him feeling as though he had nowhere else to go.

He Turned an Empty Room Into a Home

Walters secretly moved into a fourth-floor room above the school’s auditorium.

He cleaned out the space and furnished it with multiple beds, older furniture and a mini refrigerator, effectively creating a small apartment inside the school.

He even had his four teenage children stay with him there on weekends when he had custody of them.

For months, the unusual living arrangement went unnoticed.

Walters said he had previously been staying with his sister and her boyfriend, but their living situation became difficult. At the same time, he was paying child support for his four children and said he could not afford to rent his own place.

His Secret Was Discovered by Security Cameras

The unusual arrangement was finally uncovered in late April — but not because anyone was specifically looking for Walters.

School district officials were reviewing security footage as part of a separate investigation involving allegations that some custodians were improperly claiming overtime.

Walters was not accused of participating in that alleged scheme.

However, the surveillance footage showed that he appeared to be spending an extraordinary amount of time inside the school.

That eventually led officials to discover that he had been living there.

Walters Admitted He Knew It Was Wrong

Walters acknowledged that he understood he was violating school rules.

But he said he felt trapped by his circumstances.

“I knew what I was doing was wrong,” Walters said, explaining that he felt he had few alternatives.

Despite earning approximately $64,000 annually and around $80,000 with overtime in 2025, Walters said his child-support obligations and other expenses made it difficult to secure housing.

His situation highlights a less visible side of the housing crisis: even someone with a steady job can struggle to maintain a home when income is consumed by family obligations and rising living costs.

Suspension, Resignation and a Fresh Start

After the discovery, Walters was suspended without pay in May while the school district investigated the situation.

He ultimately resigned from his position on June 23.

Police initially charged him with trespassing, but those charges were later dropped.

Walters has since been staying with an uncle at a trailer park while waiting for a place of his own. He has also received two job offers as he attempts to rebuild his life.

His sister has launched a fundraising campaign to help him get back on his feet.

From School Custodian to Unlikely Story

Walters’ unusual living arrangement may sound almost unbelievable, but his explanation was relatively simple: he was struggling to find somewhere he could afford to live.

For months, a forgotten room above a school auditorium became his home.

Eventually, security cameras exposed the secret, ending his unusual stay and costing him his job.

Now Walters is trying to move forward, find permanent housing and return to work — hoping that the difficult chapter that began with a desperate housing decision will eventually lead to a more stable future.