Child Support Receipt, Mobility, and Housing Quality

This study uses administrative records for the state of Wisconsin as well as Zillow Real Estate data on median house values to examine the associations between the regularity of child support receipt on moves and changes in housing values following moves. Our sample consists of 13 329 custodial mothers with new orders from 2002 to 2006. Across several measures of child support and specifications of moves, regular receipt is negatively associated with any moves and with more than one move a year, holding constant the value of the child support received. In models examining associations between regularity and changes in housing quality after a move, an additional month of child support within 25 per cent of the order amount is associated with an $890 increase in housing value. These results imply that policy-makers concerned with housing stability consider both the regularity and absolute value of child support when considering family well-being.