How caring for loved ones can leave one without a home

Imagine finding yourself homeless after sacrificing to care for a loved one. According to a recent NPR report, the tragic scenario is not that uncommon.

A person may need to move in with the care recipient if they are the primary caregiver and may not be able to maintain a job if needed for caregiver duties around the clock. In certain states, a family caregiver may receive a small family caregiver subsidy. This doesn’t replace a full-time income, but between a care recipient’s funds (such as disability or social security) and the caregiver subsidy, a person may be able to make ends meet. But once the care recipient dies, those benefits disappear, leaving the caregiver in a precarious financial situation.

If the care recipient rented their home, then a caregiver may find themselves having to move out quickly. Even if the care recipient owned their home, unless specific arrangements were outlined in a will or other legally binding document, the caregiver will have to negotiate with family members regarding living arrangements.

What may get overlooked is a caregiver’s own health issues and how long it can take time to restart one’s life, especially in the midst of active grieving. Those who were already living paycheck to paycheck may struggle to secure full-time employment upon re-entering the job market and the housing market in major cities is skyrocketing in price and running low on inventory. Any social services benefits that a caregiver seeks may take months to become active. This can lead to outcomes that otherwise they would never have imagined, such as homelessness.

A family medical crisis often happen with little to no notice. I encourage everyone to think about what they would do in such a situation, and make a plan on how to address financial and housing issues.

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Image by Microsoft Copilot.