Research

Nick Gratez, Peter Hepburn, Carl …

November 18, 2023

Eviction was a Deadly Risk During the COVID-19 Pandemic

While many groups experienced higher-than-normal rates of death during the pandemic, the excess mortality of renters threatened with eviction was ten times higher than that of the general population.

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Nick Graetz, Carl Gershenson, and …

November 11, 2023

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Rising Rents and Evictions Linked to Premature Death

We analyzed millions of records to understand the direct link between rent burden, eviction, and mortality. Our research shows that rising rent costs and evictions have important consequences for the risk of premature death.

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Nick Graetz, Carl Gershenson, Peter …

October 3, 2023

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Who is Evicted in America

Through a groundbreaking collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau, we are able to demonstrate, for the first time, the sheer number of people facing the threat of eviction, the scale of racial/ethnic disparities in eviction risk, and the …

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Peter Hepburn, Renee Louis, and Matthew …

October 2, 2023

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Gentrification’s Role in the Eviction Crisis

One of the fiercest debates in sociology and urban studies has concerned the nature of gentrification. Analyzing eviction in cities across the country, we show that eviction rates were lower and decreasing faster in gentrifying areas.

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Lillian Leung, Peter Hepburn, James …

August 26, 2023

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Public Housing and the Threat of Eviction

Public housing authorities (PHAs) are responsible for a disproportionate share of eviction cases in many cities across the U.S. In an article published in Social Service Review, we take a closer look at these dynamics.

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Danya Keene, Whitney Denary, Annie …

July 17, 2023

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In Their Own Words: How Tenants Experienced Eviction Moratoria

We examine what moratoria meant to renters, how they shaped their well-being and housing security, how racism shaped policy effects, and how these experiences varied across different policy landscapes.

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Henry Gomory, Douglas S. Massey, James …

June 6, 2023

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When it’s cheap to file an eviction case, tenants pay the price

We wanted to understand how these filing fees affected eviction patterns. We found that higher filing fees lead to lower eviction rates, and that effects are largest for renters in majority-Black neighborhoods.

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Henry Gomory and Matthew Desmond

May 11, 2023

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Extractive landlord strategies: How the private rental market creates crime hot spots

In addition to fostering housing insecurity and creating hazardous living conditions for their tenants, landlords who rely on extractive strategies make their properties and neighborhoods less safe.

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Peter Hepburn, Jacob Haas, Nick Graetz, …

May 3, 2023

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COVID-era policies cut eviction filings by more than half

Responding to the unfolding emergency of COVID-19, policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels enacted a range of new policies. These policies drove eviction filing rates to historic lows.

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Matt Mleczko and Matthew Desmond

March 17, 2023

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To reform exclusionary zoning, we first need to document it. Now we have a tool for that.

The U.S. needs more housing—lots of it. We have millions fewer housing units than we need, particularly affordable housing units. This shortfall has devastating impacts, especially for low-income renters.

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