Community-level Associations Between Black and White Evictions, Eviction Filings, and Homelessness

• In Event: Community and Urban Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: Displacement and Eviction

Abstract

Among an estimated 1.6 million renter households evicted nationwide annually, Black renters bear a disproportionate share. Past studies at community-level show racial differences among people experiencing evictions as well as racial disparities in homelessness. However, the extent to which race-specific community-level evictions and eviction filings are associated with community-level race-specific homelessness is less explored. This study uses the eviction records from 2012 to 2016 from the Princeton University Eviction Lab, 2012-2016 American Community Survey estimates from the US Census Bureau, and 2017 Point-in-Time (PIT) count from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Preliminary seemingly unrelated regression results across a sample of 167 US communities show that the community-level eviction filing rates and eviction judgment rates among Black renters were positively associated with community-level homelessness rates among Black people, in contrast, the community-level eviction filing rates and eviction judgment rates among White renters were negatively associated with community-level homelessness rates among White people. Race-specific eviction rates have differential association with homelessness rates disaggregated by race. Thus, these preliminary findings beg to revisit the racialized relationships between eviction and homelessness, suggesting that race matters in addressing both evictions and homelessness.

Author

• Vijaya Tamla Rai, Montana State University