Housing insecurity in families
When home keeps shifting, your steady love is what children carry with them. You can keep them safe through this, and you deserve support too.
By the numbers
How many families live with unstable housing.
Families
Children
What housing insecurity looks like
Not homeless, not settled: the in-between.
Many families live somewhere between a stable home and homelessness. They have a roof tonight, but not the security of knowing it will last. Healthy People 2030 includes trouble paying rent, overcrowding and moving often in its description of housing instability.
Read more
In a large study of renter families, two-thirds of those with unstable housing were behind on rent. Their health risks were similar to families who had moved often or been homeless.
Read more
For schools, children “sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason” count as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act. That gives them school rights.
Doubling up can be a lifeline. It can also bring crowding, tension and feeling like a guest in someone else’s home.
Read more
Healthy People 2030 describes overcrowding as more than two people per bedroom, or several families in one home. It may affect mental health, stress, relationships and sleep.
Read more
Moving three or more times in a year is linked with poorer child health. Multiple moves were also linked with greater developmental risk in young children.
Read more
Children living in motels, hotels, trailer parks or campgrounds because there is no other adequate option are also covered by the McKinney-Vento Act for school purposes.
How it weighs on parents
Carrying the worry so your children don’t have to.
In a study of more than 22,000 renter families, being behind on rent, moving often and homelessness were each linked with poorer caregiver health and more depressive symptoms in mothers.
Read more
Parents often run on adrenaline: working, making calls, finding places to stay, and still trying to make bedtime feel normal. Exhaustion is a natural result.
Read more
Many parents feel deep guilt about moves or crowded homes. Remember: you are making hard choices to keep your family together and safe.
Read more
When you share a room with your children or stay in someone else’s home, there may be no private place to fall apart. Short walks, a parked car or a bathroom break can become small refuges.
How children may react
What you might notice, by age.
Researchers found that multiple moves and homelessness were linked with greater developmental risk in young children, and all three forms of instability with poorer child health.
A study of low-income families in 20 cities found that the everyday stresses of hardship, more than the housing type alone, were linked with poorer outcomes. That means the calm and care you give can make a real difference.
Read more
You might notice
- Changes in eating
- More clinginess or crying
- Sleep troubles
- Going back to earlier habits
Read more
You might notice
- Blaming themselves
- Fears about being left
- Stomach aches or headaches
- Tantrums or withdrawal
Read more
You might notice
- Anger, or pulling away from family
- Falling behind at school
- Hiding where they live from friends
- Trying to help with money or childcare
Keeping school steady
Your child’s rights if housing is unstable.
School can be the most stable place in a child’s week: familiar teachers, friends and meals. Federal law helps protect that.
Read more
Under the McKinney-Vento Act, children without a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence are covered. This includes children doubled up because of loss of housing or economic hardship, and those living in motels.
Read more
Covered children can stay at their school of origin, get transportation to it, and enrol right away even without the usual records.
Read more
Ask the school office or district for the McKinney-Vento (homeless education) liaison. You don’t have to share more than you are comfortable with.
Talking with children about housing changes
Honest, calm and suited to their age.
Children usually know when something is wrong. Simple, honest words help them feel safer than silence does.
A gentle way to talk
- Choose a calm moment, not right after a stressful call.
- Tell them what is happening in simple words.
- Say what will stay the same: “We’ll be together.” “You’ll keep your school.”
- Ask how they feel, and let all feelings be okay.
- Tell them it isn’t their fault, and it isn’t their job to fix.
- Check in again over the following days.
Phrases that help
- “Grown-ups are working on this.”
- “It’s okay to miss our old place.”
- “You can ask me anything, any time.”
- “Wherever we are, we’re a family.”
Routines in shared or crowded spaces
Small rhythms that make anywhere feel more like home.
Crowding may affect stress, relationships and sleep. Simple routines and small personal spaces can soften those effects.
Read more
Ideas
- A bedtime story or song
- A goodbye ritual at school drop-off
- A weekly treat, like pancakes on Sunday
- The same wake-up time each day
Read more
Give each child a bag, box or shelf for their special things. Having something that is just theirs helps children feel some control.
Read more
Ideas
- Ask the school about homework clubs
- Agree on quiet hours with the household
- Try headphones or a white-noise app
- Use the library after school
Read more
Agree on basics with your hosts early: meals, noise, chores, guests and how long you will stay. Clear plans prevent many arguments.
Practical help for families
Where to turn for housing, food and support.
Read more
Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211.org for local help with housing costs, utilities, food and more.
Read more
HUD-approved housing counselors can advise on renting and preventing eviction. Call (800) 569-4287.
Read more
Programs like school meals, food banks and benefits can help when money goes on rent.
Read more
HUD’s Find Shelter tool (hud.gov/findshelter) lists shelters, food pantries and clinics near you, plus links for rent help and housing vouchers.
Read more
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can help you plan and find shelter: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788, 24/7.
Caring for yourself as a parent
You matter too.
Read more
Ideas
- A cup of tea in silence
- A slow breath in the car before going in
- A song you love on headphones
- Stepping outside for fresh air
Read more
A friend, relative, faith leader or caseworker can share some of the weight. Choose someone who listens without judging.
Read more
Simple meals, fewer activities and more screen time on hard days are okay. What children remember most is feeling loved.
Read more
Reach out if
- You are snapping at the children more than usual
- You feel hopeless most days
- You can’t sleep or eat
- You’re using alcohol or other substances to cope
How community helps, and supporting a family
Small acts that make a big difference.
Schools, faith groups, neighbours and friends can be a safety net for families whose housing is unstable. Practical help often matters most.
Ways to help a family
- Drive a child to their usual school
- Help with forms, calls or a laptop for applications
- Invite the kids for a meal or a play date
- Offer storage space for belongings
- Listen without judging or giving lectures
When and where to get help
Support for parents and children.
Practical help (U.S.)
- 211: local housing, utility and food help. Dial 2-1-1 or visit 211.org.
- HUD-approved housing counselors: call (800) 569-4287.
- Your school’s McKinney-Vento liaison: for school stability.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.
Talk with a clinical provider, counsellor or your child’s doctor if…
- A child’s distress lasts for weeks or affects school, sleep or eating
- You feel hopeless or overwhelmed most days
- You or your child have thoughts of self-harm
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Crisis Text Line are free, confidential and open 24/7 for difficult moments of all kinds.
📝 Worksheets for this guide
Fill these in privately in the app. Your answers stay on your phone.
Sources
- Pediatrics, American Academy of Pediatrics (peer-reviewed) (2018). Unstable Housing and Caregiver and Child Health in Renter Families (Sandel et al., Pediatrics 141(2): e20172199)
- American Journal of Public Health (peer-reviewed) (2011). Physical and mental health, cognitive development, and health care use by housing status of low-income young children in 20 American cities: a prospective cohort study (Park, Fertig & Allison, American Journal of Public Health 101 Suppl 1: S255–S261)
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (peer-reviewed), via PubMed Central (NIH) (2023). A comprehensive demographic profile of the US evicted population (Graetz et al., PNAS)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP). Housing Instability (Healthy People 2030 literature summary)
- National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE), U.S. Department of Education. McKinney-Vento Definition of Homelessness
- National Center for Homeless Education (U.S. Department of Education technical assistance center). McKinney-Vento Law Into Practice: School Selection
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Find Shelter
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Rent Relief & Eviction Resources and Housing Counseling (HUD Texas state page)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Help for renters
- 211 (United Way Worldwide). 211: Get connected, get help
- United Way Worldwide. 211: Connecting People to Local Resources
- National Domestic Violence Hotline. The National Domestic Violence Hotline
- Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), U.S. Department of Justice. Whom can I talk to about an abusive relationship?
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Crisis Text Line (Behavioral Health Information Series)
- Find A Helpline (ThroughLine). Find A Helpline
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
