Brief Strengthening Families Through Housing Stability

How Does Housing Influence Family Involvement With Child Welfare Systems? 

A safe, stable place to live is a key ingredient for a child’s healthy physical, emotional and cognitive development. Research shows children’s well-being is intricately connected to their home environments. However, many families across the United States face housing instability, which poses significant risks to children and their families according to a study published in 2024. Housing instability encompasses a range of issues, including difficulties paying rent or a mortgage, overcrowding, frequent relocations, eviction and homelessness. 

A literature review compiled by Chapin Hall shows these challenges can have significant implications for family involvement with the child welfare system, such as: 

• Risk of child maltreatment: Housing instability can increase stress and expose families to unsafe conditions, exacerbating risks for child neglect or abuse. 

• Involvement in the child welfare system: Families facing housing challenges are at a higher risk of being reported to child protective services (CPS) and becoming involved with the child welfare system. 

• Delays in reunification: For children removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, unstable housing can delay reunification with their families. Parents are often required to secure safe housing before they can regain custody, making reunification difficult for families with limited resources. 

Housing insecurity is not the same as child neglect, but conditions associated with poverty—such as inadequate housing—can increase the risk of neglect according to the Centers for Disease Control. Disentangling poverty from neglect in child protection systems can prevent harm from unnecessary involvement in CPS. Ensuring families have safe, stable housing promotes the conditions children and their families need to thrive.

Scale of the Problem 

According to the most recent data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, housing issues are commonly cited as contributing factors in cases of child removal and delays in reunification. 

Research shows that housing instability makes families much more likely to become involved with the child welfare system and, as one study found, one in six families need housing support when they first get involved with the child welfare system. Homelessness and housing instability are also significant barriers to reunification, contributing to extended stays in foster care and delayed reunification. 

The U.S. Department of the Treasury states families across the U.S. are facing increases to the cost of housing and an insufficient housing supply. The consequences of housing in stability can be acute for families with young children. A 2023 study by the Eviction Lab showed that young children experience the highest rates of eviction. Researchers in California found that homelessness during pregnancy can increase risk of pre-term birth, low birthweight and the need for neonatal intensive care. Approximately 1 in 18 children under the age of six experience homelessness each year in the U.S., according to the Child Care Services Association. One study highlighted by the Health Care for the Homeless Clinician’s Network showed nearly half of children under the age of four who experience homelessness have a developmental delay—four times the rate of developmental delay observed among their peers with stable housing.

Housing challenges also have serious consequences for the estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults that experience homelessness each year. Housing instability and homelessness are associated with challenges such as difficulty focusing in school, poorer health and increased anxiety for children of all ages, according to a 2024 study published in Pediatrics. Child welfare system involvement can further affect housing stability later in life. Youth with a history of foster care involvement, for example, are more likely to experience homelessness and, according to youth.gov, other major challenges in their early adult years.

As states work to disentangle poverty and neglect, several are taking a closer look at housing challenges. Some states, such as Mississippi with SB 2792 (2024), have enacted legislation to clarify that a parent’s inability to provide housing due to financial hardship does not constitute neglect unless services to remedy the situation have been offered and refused, and the child is in imminent danger. Beyond updating definitions, there are many housing-related opportunities for states to reduce the risk of child maltreatment and unnecessary child welfare system involvement. 

Housing as a Prevention Policy Lever 

Stable and affordable housing can be a critical component of efforts to prevent child maltreatment and reduce child welfare system involvement. Housing policies and programs can be divided into three levels as they relate to prevention: primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Each addresses different stages of child maltreatment risk and involvement in the child welfare system. 

Primary Prevention: Housing as a Tool to Prevent Child Maltreatment 

A primary prevention approach aims to create conditions throughout the general population that prevent child maltreatment before it occurs. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shares that for all families, access to safe, affordable housing can help reduce the stressors that increase risk of neglect or abuse.

Evidence 

Research shows that stable housing is linked to better outcomes for children, including improved academic performance, better physical and mental health, and lower rates of child welfare involvement. According to the Centers for Disease Control, high rates of housing instability or homelessness are considered a community-level risk factor for child maltreatment. Ensuring families have access to safe housing decreases the likelihood of maltreatment by reducing parental stress and enabling families to meet their children’s needs. It also decreases the risk of unnecessary child welfare system involvement by promoting housing stability 

Legislative Opportunities and Examples 

Several states have pursued policies to increase the availability and accessibility of affordable housing, which supports primary prevention of child maltreatment: 

• Florida SB 962 (2022): Allows for the development of mixed-use residential developments on property with commercial or industrial zoning when at least 10% of units are for affordable housing. 

• Colorado AB 1117 (2021): Enables local governments to implement inclusionary zoning laws to promote affordable housing construction. 

• Rhode Island HB 7944 (2022): Requires the creation of an online database of rental housing developments designated for low-income households. This database shall contain, to the extent possible, current information on housing inventory, contact information, applications to apply for housing in individual developments and information on special populations served by individual developments.

State policies can also support first-time homebuyers, helping to create long-term housing stability for families and mitigate their risk of child welfare involvement. For example: 

• Utah SB 240 (2023): Provides up to $20,000 in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers, facilitating stable homeownership. 

• New Jersey AB 5415 (2023): Offers forgivable loans to first-generation homebuyers. 

Secondary Prevention: Targeted Interventions for Families at Risk 

Secondary prevention policies focus on families already at a higher risk of child welfare involvement or child removal due to factors such as poverty, substance abuse and health challenges. By providing targeted housing support to these vulnerable families, states can help prevent unnecessary removals and reduce the need for out-of-home placements. 

Evidence

Research by the Urban Institute shows targeted housing programs can significantly reduce the risk of child maltreatment or child welfare system involvement for families with known risk factors which, according to the Centers for Disease Control, include substance abuse, domestic violence and economic insecurity. Housing opportunities and assistance for these families support well-being and can prevent the escalation of problems that might lead to child removals. Supportive housing, which is defined by the Center for Supportive Housing defines as programs linking housing with other services, is one evidence-based approach that can be used for secondary prevention. Another approach shared by the Administration for Children & Families is to develop partnerships across systems that interact with families who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk for homelessness.

Legislative Opportunities and Examples 

Several states have developed housing policies that target populations with known risk factors for child maltreatment or child welfare system involvement: 

• Nevada SB 363 (2023): Prioritizes affordable housing projects for women who were formerly incarcerated or survivors of domestic violence. 

• Florida HB 1459 (2020): Allows municipalities to waive fees for housing developments that provide supportive services to individuals experiencing mental health issues, substance abuse or domestic violence. 

• Wisconsin’s Family Keys Pilot Program: Strengthens partnerships between community-based services to provide housing supports to families with ongoing child welfare cases or who are at risk for child removal to help families stay together. 

Rental assistance programs can also prevent the destabilization for families with known risk factors: 

• Illinois HB 449 (2021): Establishes the "Housing is Recovery" pilot program, offering rental subsidies to prevent institutionalization for individuals with severe mental health or substance abuse issues. 

• Oregon HB 2163 (2021): Creates long-term rental assistance programs for youth at risk of homelessness, including those transitioning out of the child welfare system. 

Tertiary Prevention: Supporting Reunification and Preventing Recurrence 

Tertiary prevention focuses on families and youth who are already involved in the child welfare system to prevent reoccurrence of child maltreatment and future child welfare system involvement. Stable housing can support successful reunification and help prevent maltreatment or future child welfare involvement. 

Evidence

Evidence from the California Policy Lab suggests that families reunify more quickly and are at lower risk for future out-of-home placement when they have access to stable housing. The federal Family Unification Program provides housing choice vouchers for families seeking reunification but lack adequate housing, which research suggests speeds up child welfare case closure. Research from the Urban Institute also shows supportive housing programs can reduce the amount of time families are involved with the child welfare system, ultimately saving states money.

As described by Casey Family Programs, for children who need to be in out-of-home care, kinship care placements can mitigate some common harms of removal and substantially improve long-term outcomes. However, the Annie E. Casey Foundation says kinship care families can face barriers to being approved due to housing-related requirements, making it difficult to place children with relatives or close family friends.

Legislative Opportunities and Examples 

Some states have taken steps to develop housing policies that specifically support reunifying families or youth transitioning out of care: 

• Washington SB 5718 (2019): Establishes a pilot program providing housing vouchers and rental assistance to families whose only remaining barrier to reunification is a lack of stable housing. 

• Massachusetts SB 883 (2021): Prioritizes children who are victims of abuse for state-aided housing programs. 

• California AB 685 (2023): Allocates funding for housing and supportive services to youth in the child welfare system through the expanded Youth Jobs Corp Program. 

• Iowa’s Transitional Housing Revolving Loan Program: Provides loans for housing projects and prioritizes those that would help parents reunify with their children. 

Some states and cities have also taken steps to alleviate licensing barriers, which can include housing issues, for relatives and other kinship care providers.

• Colorado SB 24-008 (2024): Provides for increased supports for licensed and unlicensed kinship foster care homes. Specifies that a county department or child placement agency shall issue a one-time provisional certificate for a kinship foster home in certain circumstances where the applicant is temporarily unable to conform to all required standards. 

• Missouri HB 1414 (2020): Creates the option of a temporary alternative placement agreement that allows a child to be voluntarily placed with a relative caregiver if the parent or guardian is temporarily unable to care for the child. Allows for supports to be provided to families that address the need for placement.