Multigenerational housing trend picks up

A multigenerational family
A multigenerational family

WEEKENDEDITION Multigenerational housing has been a growing trend in New York City for some time, mainly within immigrant communities, especially the well to do. But it seems the trend is branching out into more demographics as economic pressure cracks down on families.

These multigenerational households are being created by a variety of economic factors, be it a lack of employment opportunities after college, a lost job, a foreclosure or a sinking pension. But regardless of the circumstances, grown children and their elderly parents are increasingly living under a single roof, according to New York census figures cited by the New York Times.

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In New York, between the 2000 census and the 2009-2011 American Community Survey figures, the number of households where a person 60 or older is identified as the parent of the head of the household increased by 5 percent. However, that increase was even larger in Staten Island and Queens where suburban style housing is more abundant. These boroughs saw multigenerational households grow by 21 and 8 percent, respectively. [NYT]Christopher Cameron