Marley, lives in a town where you can be either poor or rich. There is no in between. The government has set up that the rich assist the poor by offering food and shelter. In most cases it is just for the publicity. In other cases it's so they can get their very own mistress.
You hear the worst stories from these sort of situations. The women getting forced into bed. Some getting sick in these places. Being given the lowest of the food and rooms. The vulgar behavior of the owners. Then you hear the good tales, like how sweet and kind they were. The way they treated you while you stayed. In some cases women don't come back from the good ones. With that small percent where the rich really liked you and so you ended up getting married.
The way it's done is there are a number of families in dire need to be HELPed. Those families are brought in front of the rich to be bid and brought to the one offering up his home. He can take you in for a number of one to three months. If they like your company they can add on time.