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Housing issues and realities facing grandparent caregivers who are renters
Esme Fuller-Thomson1, Meredith Minkler
1University of Toronto, Canada. esme.fuller.thomson@utoronto.ca
Purpose:
This study determined the prevalence of grandparents raising grandchildren who are living in rental housing and explored the sociodemographic characteristics and challenges faced by such renters.
Design And Methods:
Data were obtained from the Census 2000 Supplementary Survey, a nationally representative survey of 700,000 households with a response rate of 96.8%. Frequencies and bivariate analyses were focused on the 2,639 respondents who were grandparent caregiver renters.
Results:
Of the 2,350,000 grandparent caregivers in the United States in 2000, 26% were renters, almost one third of whom were spending 30% or more of their income on rent. For the quarter of a million grandparent caregiver renters living below the poverty line, 60% were spending at least 30% of their household income on rent and 3 of 10 were living in overcrowded conditions.
Implications:
Grandparent caregivers who are renters represent a particularly vulnerable population. The need for further research, policy, and programs for this group is discussed.