Housing Decisions Among Homeless Families Involved in the Child Welfare System

Abstract

The present study embedded a qualitative substudy within a randomized controlled trial of housing services for child welfare-involved families to examine housing decisions made in the face of homelessness and child protection. Participants included a representative sample of caregivers (n = 19) randomized to receive the Family Unification Program—a permanent housing intervention for inadequately housed families under investigation for child abuse or neglect—or child welfare services as usual. Qualitative interviews 12 months after randomization assessed housing decision-making processes involved in keeping families safe and stable. Results indicated a push–pull dynamic that constrained housing choices regardless of whether permanent housing was made available. Caregiver housing decisions were constrained by time limitations, affordability, and access to services, whereas child and family safety was perceived as less important. Findings emphasize the need for housing-informed child welfare services to ensure the long-term safety of children in families experiencing homelessness.

Keywords:

• Homelessness
• permanent housing
• child welfare
• housing decision-making

Funding

This work was supported by Award Number R01HD067540 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (R01 HD067540 Principal Investigator: Fowler). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development or the National Institutes of Health. Additional funding was provided by the Vincentian Endowment Fund at DePaul University. We acknowledge all who made this study possible, especially mothers who shared their time and insights.