"Frat" Houses in Williston -- The Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Back in the 1970s a lot of single family homes in Williston, two story-homes with a basement, were refurbished as 3-bedroom apartments and before the boom were renting out to low income folks for about $300 (often less)/month/apartment, resulting in <$1,000/month for the entire house.

Some of these houses in Williston are now going for $7,000/month for the entire house, for three oil workers. This would happen regardless of status of man camps. But with man-camp moratorium, oil field workers will look for options. Paying about $3,500 for a man-camp room/month, a $7,000/month for three is quite a savings. Of course the man-camp provides all meals and a few other amenities. I assume the same thing is going on in farmsteads around the county. While out and about in the Bakken, I am driving by more and more farm homes with more than seven or eight vehicles in the yard. And they aren't combines.

The rooms are continuously occupied; if the oil worker heads home for his/her two weeks off, his/her replacement moves in. Some workers are willing to pay for the rent even if they aren't there, just to hold it when they return.

Professionally-run man-camps are tightly regulated: alcohol, illegal arrangements, drugs, guns, altercations.  One of the things oil field workers gain by moving to "frat" houses in Williston neighborhoods is lack of this tight regulation.

Over time the man-camp management develops a close relationship with city leaders and law enforcement agencies. There is a single point of contact for social workers if necessary.

"Frat houses" would occur  no matter how many man-camps were in place, but with a moratorium in place on new professionally-managed man-camps a subliminal message is sent to folks that "frat" houses are among the few options left.

Just saying.