Bush Hannah, Shinn Marybeth
Vanderbilt University.
Cityscape. 2017;19(3):331-356.
This study examined experiences of doubling up among families after episodes of homelessness. refers to two or more adults or families residing in the same housing unit, which has been an increasing trend in the United States in recent decades. Within the past 14 years, the number of households containing more than one family, related or unrelated, has more than tripled. Although doubling up is increasingly common among families at all income levels, this study seeks to understand the experiences of doubling up among families who have been homeless. Through qualitative interviews with caregivers of 29 families, we analyzed advantages and disadvantages of doubling up with the caregiver's parent, other family, and nonfamily. Experiences were rated on a four-point scale-(1) mostly negative, (2) negative mixed, (3) positive mixed, and (4) mostly positive-and coded for various positive and negative themes. Overall, we found that doubling up was a generally negative experience for families in our sample, regardless of their relationship to their hosts. Common themes included negative effects on children, undesirable environments, interpersonal tension, and feelings of impermanence and instability. For formerly sheltered families in this study, doubling up after shelter did not resolve their period of housing instability and may be only another stop in an ongoing cycle of homelessness.
本研究调查了家庭经历无家可归后合住的情况。合住是指两个或更多成年人或家庭居住在同一住房单元，近几十年来在美国呈上升趋势。在过去14年里，包含一个以上有亲属或无亲属关系家庭的住户数量增加了两倍多。尽管合住在各收入水平的家庭中越来越普遍，但本研究旨在了解曾无家可归家庭的合住经历。通过对29个家庭的照顾者进行定性访谈，我们分析了与照顾者的父母、其他家庭成员和非家庭成员合住的利弊。根据四分制对经历进行评级——（1）大多为负面，（2）负面与正面混合，（3）正面与负面混合，（4）大多为正面——并对各种正面和负面主题进行编码。总体而言，我们发现，无论与房东的关系如何，合住在我们样本中的家庭通常是负面经历。常见主题包括对孩子的负面影响、不理想的环境、人际紧张关系以及无常和不稳定感。对于本研究中曾入住庇护所的家庭来说，庇护所之后的合住并没有解决他们的住房不稳定时期，可能只是无家可归持续循环中的又一站。
