People Living in a House Can Be Homeless, Too

It may seem strange to think of someone who sleeps in a family home as homeless; after all, if they have somewhere inside to sleep, doesn't that imply a pretty stable life? Not always, the Center for American Progress reminded me in a new paper about "doubling up."

Doubling up refers to shared housing situations in which the house or apartment is crowded with people. It may be an adult woman and her children living with her own parents in a two-bedroom apartment, a kind-hearted family taking in a neighbor who's been evicted or recent immigrants moving in with other family members because they can't get a lease without papers. Between 2005 and 2008, the number of people who reported living in doubled-up situations increased 8.5 percent (the total is almost certainly underreported). Only some are counted as homeless, but maybe they all should be.

When you start to think about it, it makes a lot of sense that people living in too-crowded homes should be counted as homeless. After all, they don't have a place of their own to stay in, and sleeping on the floor of someone else's isn't much different from getting a bed in a homeless shelter. Many of the negative effects and risks are the same whether you're sleeping on the street or in a tiny corner of someone's living room. The Center for American Progress found that children in doubled-up situations are more likely to experience health problems and trouble in school, just like homeless kids. The "host family" may be flouting housing codes, putting everyone at risk of eviction. And when the hosts get tired of having so many people in their home, they often kick their non-paying tenants out, creating even more instability in people's lives.

The CAP paper uses the problem of doubling up to illustrate the need for the National Housing Trust Fund (pdf), which is part of the jobs bill passed by the House and under consideration by the Senate. Creating the fund would allocate $1 billion in initial funding to build and renovate affordable housing. Most of the money will help families earning less than $11 an hour make rental payments, though about 10 percent will fund home purchases. It's a crucial measure both for people living on the street and those forced to rely on the kindness of friends or family. Urge your Senators to pass a jobs bill that includes help for the uninsured, the unemployed and the homeless everywhere.

Photo credit: s_mestdagh