The Cleveland Eviction Study

Between September and November, 2018, The Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development conducted structured interviews and observed cases appearing in housing court related to an eviction filing. The defendants were disproportionately low-income, African American, female head of households with children, and experienced high housing-cost burdens. The study illuminates the added hardship that eviction presents for families already facing housing affordability and quality challenges, pointing to the need to focus on eviction prevention in conjunction with an overall strategy to address the weaknesses in the United States' social safety net and housing programs.