About this episode

The episode explores the dynamics and challenges faced by families living in doubled-up households in the US.

More than eleven million children in the US live in doubled-up households, sharing space with extended family or friends. These households are even more common among low-income families, families of color, and single-parent families, functioning as a private safety net for many in a country with extremely limited public support for families. Despite their prevalence, we know little about how shared households form and how they shape family life. Doubled Up is an in-depth look at the experiences of families with children living in doubled-up households. Drawing on extensive interviews with sixty parents living in doubled-up households, Dr. Hope Harvey examines what circumstances and motivations lead families to form doubled-up households, how living in shared households affects daily routines, and how families fare after these arrangements dissolve.Dr. Harvey shows that although families rely on doubling up to get by in the face of rapidly rising housing costs, precarious labor markets, and unaffordable childcare, these private arrangements are rarely sufficient to overcome such structural barriers. And doubling up incurs its own costs for both host and guest families…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Hope Harvey

Topics covered

• shared households
• family dynamics
• low-income families
• housing costs
• public policy

Keywords

• doubled-up households
• family life
• housing
• precarious living
• childcare

Mentioned in this episode

Places: US

More episodes of New Books in Public Policy

• Angela Frederick, "Disabled Power: A Storm, A Grid, and Embodied Harm in the Age of Disaster" (NYU Press, 2025) · July 18, 2026 · 36 min
• Georgia Holly et al, .eds., "Heritage in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and Beyond" (U Edinburgh Press, 2025) · July 18, 2026 · 60 min
• Heart-Centered Connections: Seven Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive · July 16, 2026 · 35 min
• Nicholas Freudenberg, "Fighting for New York: Activism for Health and Social Justice Since The 1960s" (Columbia UP, 2026) · July 7, 2026 · 56 min
• Martina Baradel, "21st Century Yakuza: Death of Japanese Organised Crime" (Oxford UP, 2026) · July 5, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Why Democracy’s Troubles Should Come as No Surprise · June 23, 2026

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the New Books in Public Policy podcast page.