Moving in with other adults has become a lifeline for single moms hit ‘tenfold’ by the pandemic

Single mothers, who have lost jobs at a higher rate than married parents, are turning to cohabitation as a way to get through the pandemic, get child care support and weather rising rents. Many are moving in with family, friends or other single moms.
As a single parent, Gabriela Villagomez-Morales faces one question with uncomfortable regularity: What are you willing to do for your kids?

It’s the question Villagomez-Morales’ own mother asked her when, at the start of the pandemic, her job at a child care facility ended indefinitely. Other workers could tap into coronavirus relief, including enhanced unemployment payments, to keep the lights on and a roof over their heads. But despite being a taxpayer who contributes to that system, Villagomez-Morales and other undocumented immigrants couldn’t access those programs.

Without those payments, she had no way to make rent in the home she shared with her four children, ages 20, 18, 10 and 9. So when her mom posed the question, they both knew the answer.