You Can Go Home Again, Especially if You Are Out of a Job and Broke

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Families around the country are weathering out the recession by hunkering down with relatives and friends. It’s not just a lower-income phenomena either. The homeward bound are former white-collar and blue-collar workers who believe they might have a better chance finding work in their hometown because they know more people, who, in turn, know still more people. But with jobs scarce, that doesn’t always work, and rumors of jobs are just that. At home, though, they can at least get help with food, shelter and clothing.

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Kin is becoming the safety net of last resort in part because overwhelmed social-service agencies are reaching their giving limits. Across the country, waiting lists are mounting for people who need help paying for food, rent and utilities. Agencies are seeing more demand just as the traditional sources of revenues — individual, foundation and government support — are cutting back.

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“Unlike previous recessions, every major revenue source that social-service providers turn to is in decline,” says Scott Allard, associate professor at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. “Families, friends and social networks are becoming more important ways that people are coping.”