Doubled Up

Guidance on Determining Doubled-Up Situations


The majority of students defined as homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act are living in doubled-up situations. During the 2018-19 school year, 14,360 unsheltered Wisconsin students were living in a doubled-up situation.


What is doubling-up?

The McKinney-Vento Act states that “children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason” are included in the Act’s definition of homeless. Doubling-up, as this living situation is often called, is a temporary living arrangement where the family or youth have no legal right to remain in the residence and could be asked to leave at any time. This can result in high mobility and vulnerability among families and unaccompanied youth who often find themselves bouncing from house to house (or “couch surfing”).


Determining Doubled-up Situations

Communication with the family or youth is necessary to understand the circumstances that led the family to become doubled-up. When determining if a family is doubled-up, it is important to consider how the shared housing came about, the intentions of the parties sharing housing, and where the family or youth would be if they were not sharing housing (would they be in a shelter, in a car, or on the street?). Always make determinations on a case-by-case basis.


Following is a closer look at the definition along with questions to consider:


“Sharing the housing of other persons…”

  • Implies that the child or youth is staying in someone else’s residence.

  • Does the family or youth have any legal right to live in the residence?

  • Can they be asked to leave at any time without legal recourse?


“Due to a loss of housing..”

  • Implies that the child or youth has no personal housing available.

  • Did the family or youth lose previous housing due to...

    • eviction or foreclosure?

    • destruction or damage to previous home?

    • unhealthy or unsafe conditions?

    • domestic violence?

    • abuse or neglect?

    • the absence of parent or guardian due to abandonment, parental incarceration, or a similar reason?


“economic hardship..”

  • Implies that limited financial resources have forced the family or youth to leave the personal residence and share housing due to an inability to pay the rent/mortgage and other bills.

    • Did economic hardship due to an accident or illness, loss of employment, loss of public benefits, or a similar reason force the family or youth to share the housing of others temporarily?


*It is important to note that a long-term cooperative living arrangement among families or friends that is fixed, regular, and adequate should not be considered a homeless situation, even if the parties are living together to save money.


Re-evaluate

Re-evaluate living situations at the beginning of each school year. Some doubled-up arrangements that began as homeless situations may turn into cooperative and long-term arrangements over time.



For more information, please visit https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/wi/