Should I Stay or Should I Go? Exploring the Effects of Housing Instability and Mobility on Children

This paper is the latest in a series of analyses by the Center for Housing Policy that seeks to shed light on the question, “What difference does affordable housing make in a family’s life?” In the 2005 report, Something’s Gotta Give: Working Families and the Cost of Housing, we examined the consequences for household budgets of living in unaffordable housing, showing that families with very high housing costs spend less on food, clothing, health care, and transportation. In this paper, we focus on another important attribute of affordable housing — its perceived role in fostering residential stability. Many practitioners believe that this attribute of affordable housing — helping families gain control over if and when to move — is of critical importance, particularly for young children. To better understand the relationship between affordable housing and residential stability and the effects of mobility on children, we commissioned four research reports, each of which explores a different data set to provide insight into these questions. This brief presents a synthesis of the findings of these research reports.

Publication Date: 
2011