Title

Housing Insecurity among Urban Fathers

Author(s)

Marah A. Curtis Marah Curtis (Boston University)

Amanda B. Geller Amanda Geller (Columbia University)

Abstract

This article examines housing insecurity among an understudied population: urban fathers of young children. Housing security is of particular importance for vulnerable populations, and urban fathers, many of whom face unemployment and monitoring from the child support and criminal justice systems, often rely on this security to mitigate the socioeconomic challenges they face. By assessing the extent and type of housing insecurity affecting urban fathers, we identify a potentially serious source of disadvantage facing families more broadly. A year after the birth of a new child, fully a quarter of fathers reported significant housing insecurities with 3% experiencing homelessness. Results suggest that from 9 to 12% of fathers are doubling up, relying on others for living expenses, and moving more than once every year. Finally, only half of fathers had been able to maintain housing security over the three to four years since the focal child?s birth.

Creation Date

2010-05

Section URL ID

CRCW

Paper Number

WP10-05-FF.pdf

URL

https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/sites/fragilefamilies/files/wp10-05-ff.pdf

File Function

Jel

D190, D600, I000, I320, J120

Keyword(s)

demographics, urban environment, homeless

Suppress

false

Series

8