Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty

Even in the most desolate areas of American cities, evictions used to be rare. There are hundreds of data-mining companies that sell landlords tenant screening reports listing past evictions and court filings. There are moving companies specializing in evictions, their crews working all day, every weekday. Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation, as well as their ingenuity and guts. Eviction's fallout is severe. Losing a home sends families to shelters, abandoned houses, and the street. Low-income families have grown used to the rumble of moving trucks, the early-morning knocks at the door, the belongings lining the curb. Families have watched their incomes stagnate, or even fall, while their housing costs have soared. Fewer and fewer families can afford a roof over their head. This is among the most urgent and pressing issues facing America, and acknowledging the breadth and depth of the problem changes the way at poverty.