Abstract
The stories presented in the previous chapters offer a glimpse into the lives of four
youth living doubled-up and the influence their residential arrangements had on
their educational participation. Isaac had a vague long-term goal of becoming a
professional athlete or firefighter, but the daily choices he made to escape the chaos
of his living environment resulted in educational disengagement. Although Kylee’s
residence valued attending school and treating teachers with respect, aspects of her
network limited her access to information about the educational process. Marco and
Juan both intended to enroll in college the fall after high school graduation and
took steps to bring this goal to fruition; however, their residences differed in the
level of support for postsecondary aspirations. The differing experiences illustrate the
complexity of urban life. Although I focus on the residential influences in this
chapter, two additional points are worth noting. First, these youth did not define
themselves by their residential arrangements. Rather, their identity was shaped by
the relationships, interests and experiences that happened within and outside of the
home. None of the youth identified with the terms doubled-up or homeless. Second,
themes emerged from the data that helped explain how youth experienced
doubled-up residences, but a singular definition of a doubled-up residence was not
evident.