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![A man is sitting on a couch reading a letter.]()
Learn About Evictions
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“Once a tenant has an eviction on their record, their ability to obtain quality housing is more and more and more difficult, so if you can prevent those evictions then you’re helping everybody have access to good quality stable housing.” (NBC24 News)
EVICTIONS & HOMELESSNESS
Evictions are not only the result of, but also a cause of, poverty that leads to homelessness. Evictions especially impact families with children.
In Ohio, many families are cost burdened and risk eviction because they live paycheck-to-paycheck on wages that barely cover rent and necessities. “HUD defines cost-burdened families as those ‘who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing’ and ‘may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care.’ Severe rent burden is defined as paying more than 50 percent of one’s income on rent.” (Rental Burdens: Rethinking Affordability Measures)
EVICTIONS IN TOLEDO
If a family’s income-earner loses their job, they are at immediate risk for eviction. Once a family is evicted from housing, many turn to friends and family or live in a motel or vehicle.
How Evictions Lead to Homelessness
However, these types of living arrangements are difficult to maintain long term. Once a family runs out of money to afford weekly rent at a motel or must sell their vehicle to afford food or healthcare, they have few options left. Many end up homeless, living on the streets or in a shelter.
Homelessness creates a challenging situation for a family to escape. It’s difficult to find employment or save money for rent. Finding affordable housing gets increasingly out of reach.
Solutions to the Eviction Crisis
What can be done to combat the eviction crisis seen across the US, including Ohio?
In a 2018 report from the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, it is noted that, “[w]hile many communities across the country are working to end homelessness, too few have adopted legal protections to help renters find, and stay in, housing.”
The key findings from this report include:
- There is not enough affordable and available housing for America’s millions of low-income renters.
- The lack of affordable housing causes housing instability for low-income renters and leads to increased risk of eviction.
- Evictions can cause homelessness.
- Once housing is lost, low-income renters face significant barriers to accessing replacement housing.
- People of color have been particularly harmed by housing instability, discriminatory rental policies, and homelessness.
- Strong renters’ rights can reduce housing instability, remove barriers to housing access, and prevent homelessness.
Learn More About Homelessness
