Eviction's Fallout: Housing, Hardship, and Health

TLDR

Millions of families in the United States are evicted annually, yet little is known about the consequences of such displacement. This study investigates the effects of involuntary housing displacement on low‑income urban mothers, a group at high eviction risk. Researchers applied two propensity‑score matching methods to national survey data to assess eviction impacts. Eviction was associated with increased material hardship, depression, poorer health for mothers and children, and higher parenting stress, with material hardship and depression remaining elevated for at least two years.

Abstract

Millions of families across the United States are evicted each year. Yet, we know next to nothing about the impact eviction has on their lives. Focusing on low-income urban mothers, a population at high risk of eviction, this study is among the first to examine rigorously the consequences of involuntary displacement from housing. Applying two methods of propensity score analyses to data from a national survey, we find that eviction has negative effects on mothers in multiple domains. Compared to matched mothers who were not evicted, mothers who were evicted in the previous year experienced more material hardship, were more likely to suffer from depression, reported worse health for themselves and their children, and reported more parenting stress. Some evidence suggests that at least two years after their eviction, mothers still experienced significantly higher rates of material hardship and depression than peers.