Hope Harvey

Looks at how and why families in the U.S. end up sharing a home with other adults or families — a situation called “doubling up.” Many parents do this to cope with high housing costs, unstable jobs, expensive childcare, and few public safety nets. Shows what these shared living situations really look like in everyday life, especially for families with kids, and why they matter in conversations about economic inequality and housing insecurity.

Examines whether unstable housing actually causes problems in adults’ lives or whether it simply goes hand-in-hand with other disadvantages. Finds that some types of housing instability are linked to worse outcomes for adults, but not all forms have the same impact, meaning housing problems don’t affect everyone in the same way or for the same reasons.

Challenges a common assumption about how people find places to live. Most research assumes that when households move, they actively search for housing — looking at listings, checking neighborhood characteristics, and weighing options against their preferences. This study explores whether housing options come to many people unexpectedly through everyday life, conversations, or social connections. 

Looks at how single mothers whose children’s fathers don’t live with them piece together household income over many years, showing that they nearly always rely on a mix of earnings, support payments, public benefits, help from friends or family, and sometimes a new partner’s income. Finds that mothers’ own earnings are almost always part of the family’s income but usually aren’t enough on their own, so families depend on a patchwork of different income sources to get by.

Looks at kids living in “doubled-up” households—where families share a home with other relatives or non-relatives — and shows that many children are either living as guests in someone else’s house or as hosts who are providing space to others. Finds that disadvantaged children are more often guests and tend to experience more changes in living situations over time, while advantaged families are more often hosts, highlighting that who provides versus who receives housing help matters for children’s stability.