Mothering in double crisis: pandemic parenting while homeless

Abstract

The global COVID-19 pandemic had widespread effects on children and families. It also presented a ‘double crisis’ for many parents, disproportionately women of colour, who were mothering through a pandemic while also navigating housing instability. In this study, we provide initial evidence on mothering in the context of homelessness and COVID-19. We draw on 19 semi-structured interviews with U.S. parents experiencing homelessness and garner insights from feminist motherhood theories, to examine mothering during double crisis. We find that homelessness and COVID-19 had both independent and synergistic effects on mothering. Parents mothered through the COVID-19 crisis while homeless with unease, fear, and anxiety; multiple layers of loss; and critique and pressure from schools, service providers, and others. Importantly, they also drew on internal and external sources of strength and engaged in creative coping strategies and acts of resistance in the face of unjust structural barriers. At times, however, parents internalized stereotypes and deficit views in ways that led to increased stigma and parental burden–as well as the underutilization of crucial services and supports. Implications for research, theory, and practice are discussed.