Most economic analysts point to the millions of families that have been uprooted through foreclosure since the bursting of the Housing bubble in 2008, but very few have looked into the impacts of the children who have seen their lives change, and what the future holds for them as they continue to grow up.







Five years into the foreclosure crisis, many American families with children continue to lose their homes through foreclosure. An estimated 2.3 million children in single-family homes have already lost their homes to foreclosure, and even more - 3.0 million children - are at serious risk of losing their homes in the future. Another three million or so children may face eviction from rental properties that undergo foreclosure, suggesting that more than 8 million children are directly affected by the ongoing foreclosure crisis (see Figure 1). As single-family and rental properties continue to enter foreclosure, children face not just the loss of their homes, but also the risk of losing friends and falling behind academically if they are forced to switch neighborhoods and schools.

Children Affected by Foreclosures

Children are the often invisible victims of the foreclosure crisis. Mortgage records do not tell how many children are in owner-occupied homes, and it is even harder to estimate the number of children in rental properties. Yet foreclosure affects not just the homeowner or landlord, but also the children living in the foreclosed properties. This brief combines state-by-state estimates on foreclosures with Census Bureau data on the living arrangements of families with children to generate estimates of the numbers of children affected by the mortgage crisis. It also synthesizes research bearing on the negative effects of foreclosure on children’s schooling and overall well-being and outlines some possible policy responses. - Brookings Institute





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