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Latina and black women who are living in poverty face much higher risk of eviction than other racial groups, according to a new report.
The new report, from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, examined court records and found that 2.3 million people were evicted from their homes in 2016.
That’s 6,300 people evicted each day.
“[The data] demonstrate widespread housing insecurity in both urban and rural locales around the country,” wrote Catherine Lizette Gonzalez of Colorlines.
Latinos and Risk of Eviction
Other recent studies from the Eviction Lab and researcher Matthew Desmond have found that Black and Latino women with low-incomes were evicted at alarmingly higher rates than other racial groups due to factors such as having children, low wages and landlord-tenant gender dynamics.
More people are renting their homes than at any point in the past 50 years.
More than half of Latinos (54%) rent their home. That’s nearly twice as much as Whites (28%), according to Pew Research Center.
Latino and black neighborhoods also have been targeted by the sub-prime lending industry. Renters were lured into buying bad mortgages, and homeowners were encouraged to refinance under riskier terms which later crashes leading to more reduction in wealth.
Studies suggest the average white family experienced an 11% reduction in wealth. But the average black family lost 31% of its wealth, and the average Latino family 44.7%.
“Incomes for Americans of modest means have flatlined while housing costs have soared,” according to the Eviction Lab website.
Impact of Eviction on Women’s Health
Housing has long been recognized as a critical structural determinant of health that significantly shapes health outcomes.
The subordination of women imposed by men-centered housing models produces evictions and is reinforced and structured by instances of social and structural violence. Women’s experiences of evictions were associated with increased vulnerabilities to physical and sexual harm, drug-related risks, and cycles of eviction.
Research suggest that at least two years after the eviction mothers still experienced significantly higher rates of material hardship and depression than peers.
State law for eviction
A landlord can’t begin an eviction lawsuit without first legally terminating the tenancy.
The terminology varies somewhat from state to state. Since every state has different rules, the eviction Notices are tailored for all fifty states. There are basically three types of termination notices for tenancies that landlords terminate due to tenant misbehavior.
Texas has a very stringent tenancy law. The non-payment of rent in Texas leads to the eviction process. Non-payment of rent by the tenant is a growing trend leading to having to do an eviction.
What all this means is that affordable housing remains critical for Latinos.
“Only one in four families who qualifies for affordable housing programs gets any kind of help,” according to the Eviction Lab website. “Under those conditions, it has become harder for low-income families to keep up with rent and utility costs, and a growing number are living one misstep or emergency away from eviction.”
By The Numbers
142
Percent
Expected rise in Latino cancer cases in coming years
