Affordable Housing Shortages and Systemic Barriers Push Thousands of Families into Cars, Motels, or Doubling Up
While the sun was still coming up over the Ko?olau Range, I’d make my way to Kapolei Regional Park, aiming for the east parking lot with a public bathroom. There, I would quietly knock on the window of an old station wagon, where my friend Max slept in the back seat. After a few minutes, the car door would creak open, and he’d quickly get out and make for the restroom. Inside, his two younger siblings and parents continued to sleep soundly in a cramped vehicle.
“How’d you sleep?” I’d ask. He often just stared at me annoyingly. I was 17 years old then, freshly out of high school. Every morning, I would catch a ride into Kapolei with my Mom, who worked nearby. Every once in a while, she would hand me $10, and my friends and I would walk to the local McDonald’s and order off the dollar menu. Many days, we would just lie in the grass, under a tree, and watch the clouds float by.
Max’s family was homeless, living in their car, right there in the parking lot of Kapolei Regional Park, for 10 years. His father was a disabled Army vet, and even back then, in the late 2000s, homelessness was a growing problem in Hawaii.
I remember looking for an apartment shortly after graduating from high school, and it was impossible to find anything under $1000/month in 2008 – even for a studio. We put our money together and briefly rented the upstairs of a house from a creepy guy for a combined $1100/month. Soon after, the neighbors warned us about his criminal record and a restraining order against him. Not long after that, we had to leave.
As for me, I moved back into my childhood bedroom. Max went back to the park. Even then, housing was hugely unattainable, not only for me, but for Max and his family as well. There was simply no apartment we could afford. Max’s dad couldn’t afford anything on the small Social Security check.
Housing Costs Drive Families Into Instability
Max’s family isn’t unique. According to Karen Olson, founder and retired CEO of Family Promise and author of Meant for More, family homelessness is a crisis hidden in plain sight.
“I believe there are significantly more homeless families because the percentage is based on a point-in-time count, which doesn’t take into consideration families that are doubling up, living in their car, or staying in motels,” Olson said in an exclusive Q&A with Invisible People.
“The housing crisis is one of the strongest drivers of family homelessness today,” she explained. “It’s less about people making poor choices and more about a system where wages and housing costs don’t align.”
Research backs her up. An estimated 1 in 30 American children will experience homelessness in a given year. Rent has risen far faster than incomes in most U.S. communities, leaving families vulnerable.
“Many families who work full-time still cannot afford even a modest two-bedroom apartment,” she said. “When over half a family’s income goes to rent, there’s no buffer for emergencies like medical bills, job loss, or car repairs.”
Systemic Barriers That Push Families Into Homelessness
In today’s world, there are not many places where a family can comfortably live, even with two working parents.
“Decades of underinvestment in affordable housing have left millions of families without realistic options,” Olson said. “Public housing waitlists are often years long, and housing vouchers are limited, with most eligible families never receiving them. Of those eligible, only 1 in 3 receive housing assistance.”
With affordable housing out of reach, families are left vulnerable to a cascade of systemic issues—from poverty-level wages to limited access to quality health care. Olson also points to other factors that can contribute to family homelessness, including:
- Mental health challenges and trauma
- Medical emergencies or chronic illness
- Young parenthood
- Domestic violence
- Job loss or unexpected expenses, such as car repairs
- Eviction
- Lack of extended family support
- Divorce
- Addiction
“It is not just about economics, it’s about safety, support, and systemic barriers,” Olson said.
How Family Promise Tackles Family Homelessness
Family Promise is tackling a fundamental gap: most homelessness services in the U.S. were not built with families in mind.
“Historically, most homelessness services in the U.S. were designed around single adults, especially men, often with issues like mental illness or substance use,” explained Olson, founder and retired CEO of Family Promise. “Shelters and policies were built for that population, not for families.”
In Family Promises’ 2024 Annual Impact Report, the nonprofit reported serving 1,500 families through housing programs last year. It also prevented homelessness for 18,200 families and found shelter for 4,500 families. Additionally, a total of 67,100 families and 100,200 children were served by various programs at Family Promise, including stabilization services.
Research across the field shows that eviction prevention and shelter diversion are among the most effective strategies for addressing family homelessness. Preventing homelessness isn’t just about avoiding the immediate crisis—it’s about preserving stability and protecting families from the lasting trauma that homelessness can cause. Family Promise’s Prevent Program reflects this approach by prioritizing support that helps families remain in their homes.
“Homelessness doesn’t just mean lacking a roof,” Olson said. “For children and families, it’s a destabilizing force that ripples through every aspect of life, especially during the most critical stages of development.”
“When children suffer trauma and stress, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and behavioral challenges,” she continued. “Frequent moves cause learning loss and social struggles in school, and the children can also experience poor health from lack of nutrition, sleep, and healthcare access. Parents often face overwhelming stress, guilt, and instability. They could be living in unsafe living conditions and have trouble getting out of a cycle of economic hardship.”
Expanding Housing Options for Families
In response to the shortage of affordable housing, Family Promise addresses the issue through rapid rehousing, master leasing, and refurbishing vacant properties. The organization expands housing options in communities nationwide, giving more families access to affordable housing.
When emergency shelter is needed, the focus is on keeping families together, providing safe accommodations, healthy meals, and case management. Beyond housing, families also gain access to a comprehensive support system that helps them overcome barriers such as employment, financial literacy, education, health and wellness, transportation, and food security.
Advocacy: Making Family Homelessness Impossible to Ignore
With so little support available for homeless families nationwide, Olson emphasized the need for advocacy: “Even though housing policy is largely national and state-driven, local communities and congregations can make a real impact. You can encourage use of vacant buildings or underused land for family housing.”
“Advocacy is essential to ending family homelessness because it raises awareness of a largely hidden crisis and pushes for policies that prioritize children and parents,” she continued. “Legislators are used to paid lobbyists, but residents from their own communities can have a greater impact. By uniting community voices, advocacy ensures that family homelessness becomes a visible issue that lawmakers and the public can no longer overlook.”
It’s up to all of us to ensure homeless families get the support they deserve. Communities in every city must press policymakers to recognize the crisis, treat it with urgency, and invest in real solutions to reduce family homelessness.