Home instability refers to frequent changes in one’s housing situation that can negatively impact health, development, and well-being. It encompasses a variety of circumstances that lead to housing insecurity, including moving frequently, falling behind on rent, doubling up with other families, experiencing periods of homelessness, and more. Home instability is often intertwined with other forms of instability and adversity.
What are some signs of home instability?
There are several potential signs that a person or family may be experiencing home instability:
- Frequently moving residences – This could involve moving multiple times in a year. Frequent moves can be voluntary or involuntary.
- Mobility between family/friends – Also known as “doubling up,” this involves staying with others temporarily due to inability to maintain one’s own housing.
- Behind on rent – Struggling to pay rent on time and facing possible eviction.
- Use of shelters – Staying in homeless shelters, transitional housing, or hotels/motels temporarily.
- Couch surfing – Moving constantly between different friends’ and families’ homes.
- Living in overcrowded conditions – More people living in a dwelling than there is space for.
- Substandard housing conditions – Living in dwellings with maintenance or utility issues.
- Foreclosure/eviction – Losing home ownership or rental due to inability to pay mortgage or rent.
Experiencing even one of these circumstances can be considered a sign of housing insecurity and risk of instability. The more signs that are present, the greater the instability.
What causes home instability?
There are many interrelated causes of home instability:
Financial factors
- Poverty – Low income makes it very difficult to afford housing costs like rent/mortgage, utilities, maintenance, etc.
- Job loss/instability – Loss of household income can lead to inability to pay housing costs.
- High housing costs – When housing costs are unaffordable relative to income.
- Medical/health costs – Unanticipated medical bills can disrupt ability to pay for housing.
- Lack of affordable housing – Insufficient availability of housing people can realistically afford.
Housing discrimination
- Race/ethnicity
- Family status (single parents, large families, etc.)
- Disabilities
- LGBTQ+ identity
- Criminal record
- Immigration status
Discrimination limits access to stable, affordable housing.
Domestic violence/abuse
Having to quickly leave an unsafe living situation due to violence or abuse. This can also include minors/youth kicked out by parents.
Natural disasters and house fires
Events that destroy or make housing uninhabitable.
Weak social safety nets
Limited access to public assistance, unemployment insurance, affordable healthcare, childcare, or other programs that support stable housing.
Mental illness and substance abuse
Can disrupt relationships, employment, finances in ways that impact housing stability.
Weak community/family ties
Without connections, have limited options for support in housing crisis.
Prior experience of homelessness
Cycles of homelessness can be hard to break and lead to repeat instability.
How does home instability impact children and families?
Home instability can be especially detrimental for children and families:
Impacts on children’s development and education
- High stress affects developing brains and puts kids at risk for behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems.
- Moving schools disrupts education and leads to lower academic performance.
- May miss school days and classes while securing housing.
- Difficulty participating in extracurricular activities.
- Harder for schools to identify and assist children with special needs.
Impacts on family employment and finances
- Moving farther from work can complicate transportation to jobs.
- Changing addresses on job applications may hinder hiring.
- Disruptions at work due to housing issues can lead to losing jobs.
- Housing instability itself is expensive (application fees, deposits, moving costs).
Impacts on family relationships and mental health
- Parents experience high levels of stress/depression.
- Strained marital and parent-child relationships.
- Family separation to find stable housing for kids.
- Loss of community connections and isolation.
Barriers to health care access
Frequent moves make continuity of care difficult. Lack stable address and missed appointments affect care quality.
Increased family homelessness risk
Instability is major predictor of entering shelter system.
How does home instability impact communities?
High rates of home instability in a community can lead to:
- Higher use of emergency services like shelters, hospitals, and police/courts.
- More students transferring schools frequently, disrupting classrooms and lowering test scores.
- Businesses challenged with retaining unstable workforce.
- Foreclosures and high residential turnover lower property values and depress local housing markets.
- Growth of homeless encampments and street homelessness.
Overall, home instability has economic costs for communities and lowers quality of life.
What are strategies for preventing and addressing home instability?
There are interventions at the policy, program, and individual levels:
Policy strategies
- Increase affordable housing through zoning, rent controls, public housing, housing subsidies.
- Strengthen social safety net programs.
- Raise minimum wage and enforce fair employment practices.
- Establish protections against housing discrimination.
- Fund services like counselors to help people find/maintain housing.
Program strategies
- Case management to help families access supports and services.
- Budgeting classes and financial literacy.
- Job training and career counseling.
- Parenting skills classes.
- Counseling and substance abuse treatment.
- Landlord mediation for tenants at risk of eviction.
- Rapid rehousing to quickly move families from shelters to permanent homes.
Individual strategies
- Build savings to weather unexpected costs.
- Access public benefits like food stamps, unemployment, Medicaid.
- Improve credit to expand rental options.
- Apply for rental and utilities assistance.
- Seek support from family, friends, community groups.
- Find low-cost transit options to get to work.
A combination of approaches at different levels is needed to promote housing stability. The goal is to prevent homelessness before it occurs whenever possible. For families that do become homeless, the focus is quickly getting them back into permanent housing. Ongoing support is also necessary to reduce risk of repeat instability.
Conclusion
Home instability refers to frequent involuntary moves, inability to pay housing costs, use of temporary housing, overcrowding, and other housing situations that negatively impact health, development, employment, and family stability. It is caused by interconnected financial, social, health, and policy factors. Home instability requires comprehensive strategies to promote affordable, stable housing for all. Stable housing provides the foundation for individual and community well-being.