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U.S. children are more likely to live apart from a biological parent than at any time in history. Although the Child Support Enforcement system has tremendous reach, its policies have not kept pace with significant economic, demographic, and cultural changes. Narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with 429 low-income noncustodial fathers suggests that the system faces a crisis of legitimacy. Visualization of language used to describe all forms child support show that the formal system is considered punitive and to lead to a loss of power and autonomy. Further, it is not associated with coparenting or the father–child bond—themes closely associated with informal and in-kind support. Rather than stoking men’s identities as providers, the system becomes “just another bill to pay.” Orders must be sustainable, all fathers should have coparenting agreements, and alternative forms of support should count toward fathers’ obligations. Recovery of government welfare costs should be eliminated. (Author abstract)

The Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse (SSRC) sponsored a webinar, Beyond Housing Policy: Human Service Policies to Address Housing Instability, on March 7, 2018, 2:00-3:30pm EST. The webinar focused on human service policies and programs that may directly influence low-income and vulnerable families’ housing stability. There is a well-established connection between consistent, stable, and affordable housing and positive family physical, emotional, and economic well-being. Housing instability – frequent moves because of social, familial, financial, mental health, and violence related issues – is common among low-income households and other vulnerable populations such as recently incarcerated individuals. A lack of stable housing is linked to increased food insecurity, mental health barriers, physical hardships, and poorer education outcomes for children. These negative outcomes become more prevalent and extreme when housing instability leads to homelessness. While there is little argument over housing stability and its connection to family self-sufficiency, there is less clarity on how to efficiently and effectively address this housing challenge. The supply of affordable housing has declined while overall levels of housing instability have increased. There is evidence showing how housing subsidies for low-income individuals increase housing stability, but less than 25 percent of the 19 million eligible households receive this support. In addition, waiting lists for housing subsidies and other forms of assistance can be up to three years long. Given these challenges, it is important to understand the potential of other human services supports and policies, besides housing assistance, to promote positive housing outcomes for low-income individuals.

This document is the transcript from Beyond Housing Policy: Human Service Policies to Address Housing Instability. Listen to the recording from the Webinar here. The webinar PowerPoint slides can be found here. A record of the question and answer session from the webinar can be found here.