Are You Ready to Become a Multiple Family Home?

Are you a candidate for being a multiple or a multi-generational family household? You may be surprised how often people make this choice. The reasons may be varied; however, the conscious decision and commitment of sharing one home with other family members has worked for many families.

It is not unusual for several people, normally in the same age group, to share a home. Nevertheless, what if one or more of your family members has run into a financial situation where they can no longer afford to live on their own? Did your son lose his job due to layoffs? Is your daughter divorced from her husband and has two young children, but no place to live? Another daughter, who is married and has five children and two dogs, is suddenly given 30 days to vacate a house she had lived in for ten years. What if there are no houses available in her price range?

What happens if your children decide they want to move back home? Are you, after years of raising children, paying off your home and finally have the time to able to do other things, going to allow them to do so? More and more families are finding out that it may be the only thing they can do in order for their children (and even grandchildren) to have a safe and affordable place to live.

In today's world, it is not surprising to hear that over 750,000 people are homeless and these numbers are steadily going up. These people are not just single men and women, but entire families with children. In March 2007, Philip Mangano, the director of the Bush Administration's Interagency Council on Homelessness stated, "On a yearly basis the total number of homeless fluctuates between 2 and 3 million". Personal problems, lack of education, domestic violence, alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, poor work habits, lack of social skills, poor integration into society for released inmates - all are contributing factors. However, the main reason people become homeless is economic. The adage "most families are only a pay check away from homelessness" is a true one. Families faced with rising utility bills, health insurance, car repairs, food bills, and housing costs are becoming closer to being homeless at any given moment.

The loss of a job, the loss of a combined income, or a catastrophic emergency can place the family in economic jeopardy. If their income is insufficient, they become unable to pay the rent, mortgage, utilities, or food costs. When something has to give, they find themselves having to "borrow from Peter to pay Paul" - meaning to borrow from family and friends in order to cover the bills. What happens if eventually there is not anything left to borrow and there is no longer any way of paying all the bills? Some may try to get through by living on their credit cards. However, they end up paying large credit card payments or making only minimum payments as they try to survive each month. Unfortunately, things begin to fall apart as their cellphone is cut off or their vehicle insurance is dropped and there is not enough money to pay for necessities or luxuries. Finally, they have no recourse left but to leave the apartment or house they were living in.

Finding a cheaper place to live is almost impossible. Housing costs have skyrocked in the last several years. Many owners of rental properties have raised the rental costs per unit and discourage renting to families with children. In areas near a small rural town, the average rental on a one-bedroom apartment can start at $700 to as high as $1200 a month for a house. In mid sized cities, rentals average $800 for apartments to over $2000 a month for a house. Those who live in larger cities like Washington, D.C. are often faced with $2000 - $8000 and up apartment monthly rental prices.

There are not enough housing units available that poor, low-income, and even many middle-income families can afford. Many families are paying more in rent than what a mortgage on a home would cost. Unfortunately, their credit rating may be poor, too impaired, or even non-existent. This makes it almost impossible to get a loan to buy a house. At the same time, those who have bought a house have run into the same problems trying to make the mortgage payments due to the same problems renters have including ballooning payments or changing interest rates.

There are numerous reasons to consider, both for and against becoming a combined family, before deciding to combine multiple families. First and foremost, can you live with your children? Do you like them enough to live with them for an extended period of time and to possibly make a lifelong commitment for the rest of your life? Will there be enough privacy for everyone? Do you have enough room in your home to combine one or more families? How will money from income be allocated to pay for household bills, food, clothing, entertainment, travel expenses for work, and other unforeseen emergencies?

The reasons against doing so are that you will have to give up living space to accommodate the added family members. There will be more noise, clutter, toys in the floor and more clothes to wash and dry. The utility bills will quickly reflect the additional load. There are apt to be disagreements over what to fix for dinner and what programs to watch on the television. Everyone will want to use the phone at the precise moment you need to call out yourself. More food will have to be purchased and that may mean adding a refrigerator and a freezer. Parking space may be at a premium and moving vehicles will be an added chore. You will be asked to baby-sit more often and there will be days when you think you never left those child-rearing years behind.

Conversely, it does not cost much more to heat a home with several people than it does with two. Purchasing food in bulk can save a considerable amount of money. Having telephone service that charges one price for local and long distance calling has the advantage of a standard charge that will remain the same price each month. Cable or satellite TV charges would also be a standard charge, though any additional options would cost extra. If there are several doctor appointments, they can usually be scheduled for the same day and carpooling for medical appointments or even work will help save on the cost of gas.

Other benefits will be having family members more readily available in case of emergencies. If a vehicle breaks down or has to be taken to the auto shop for maintenance, another vehicle will be available. If someone wants to take a short vacation, others at home can take care of the pets and keep track of mail. Household or outside chores, if split up or even put on a schedule, assure that one person is not stuck doing everything. Daycare costs may be minimized if another household member is willing to take over that duty.

The largest problem found with incorporating a multiple or multi-generational families will be the lack of privacy. It is important that each person have a private room with a door. More than one bathroom is almost an imperative addition if only one exists. A communal room such as the living room will work for getting together as a group. Building an addition to the house may be an option for some families to create extra room. The ideas are endless if you want to be one large family sharing expenses and chores.

In addition, the best reward may be being near parents, children, or grandchildren on a daily basis. It is a good way to share in their lives and be an important part of theirs.

UNITED STATES COUNTS 750,000 HOMELESS

Study finds more than 700,000 homeless in the U.S.

Just a Paycheck Away, By Daniel D'Ambrosio, June 05, 2008

What Causes Homelessness?

Multigenerational Families,

Multiple Generations in a Single Household? 8 Families Found a Way to Make It Work, By Katherine Salant, August 13, 2005