Childhood Housing Trajectories and Risk for Housing Insecurity in the Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

Youth from low-income, insecurely housed families may struggle to secure and maintain stable living arrangements in the transition to adulthood. However, little research examines the link from childhood housing insecurity to emerging adulthood housing insecurity. The present study examined childhood housing trajectories from infancy to adolescence, and their associated housing outcomes in emerging adulthood. Three subgroups emerged from repeated measures latent class analysis in a sample of at-risk families; the largest group (77%) experienced stable housing from infancy through adolescence. The smallest group (6%) experienced housing insecurity in early childhood that stabilized by age 9. The third group (17%) experienced chronic housing insecurity throughout childhood. Both groups who experienced any housing insecurity displayed increased risk for housing insecurity in emerging adulthood; notably, the group who experienced early insecurity that stabilized showed similar levels of risk to those who experienced chronic housing insecurity into adolescence. Findings suggest childhood housing experiences have enduring effects into emerging adulthood.