New Report Shows That More Black and Latino Males Are Living In Multigenerational Households Than Ever Before

While most late millennials had high hopes of moving on up as they approached their late twenties and thirties, turns out, many of them are moving back in–with their families that is. And according to NBC News, your chances of a sojourn back home is higher if you’re Asian, Latino, or Black. A report published on Thursday by Pew Research Center uncovered that almost 4 out of 10 men between the ages of 25 and 29 live with older family members, with a lack of financial resources being the cause.

“I didn’t have a choice to stay where I was,” says Jeff Avelar-Yanes, a Salvadoran American costume designer. “I put it all together and I was like, how am I going to pay off the student loans … and still be able to work and pay for an apartment? Like even having roommates, it’s still stressing me out. I don’t even think I’d be able to split and still have enough.”

The designer says his student loans and inability to find steady work are what ultimately drove him back to his Long Island home with his parents and sisters. He’s lived there since he graduated college in 2017.

Because Black and Latino people are overrepresented in low wage jobs, there is more difficulty presented to reach financial stability, and strike out on one’s own. Despite the fact that marginalized folks are culturally accustomed to living within multigenerational households, the report shows that these types of arrangements have increased nearly four times since the 1970s.

Those who move back home aren’t only cutting costs for themselves though, as many are also responsible for contributing to the household, or covering expenses for a loved one. The report also indicates that 6 out of 10 adults in multigenerational households pay for nearly half of all expenses, including utility bills and groceries.

“We’re all trying to get through each day,” Avelar-Yanes told NBC News. “My mom tells me sometimes … she feels like there isn’t enough money to help with everything.”

One of the most unfortunate causes of multigenerational living among Black and Latino households? The likelihood of serving as caregiver or medical provider to another adult family member. Because of a multitude of racial disparities, families of color are less likely to have the means to attain proper medical care, or be able to afford the costs of elderly care living facilities.

Although some members of multigenerational households see their living arrangement as a safety net, others like Avelar-Yanes see it as an obstruction of their freedom. When asked how eventually moving out would make him feel, he responded: “Freeing. Because I don’t have to follow by anyone else’s house rules.”