Eviction and the American Dream
This post originally appeared on Sociology In Focus on May 22, 2017. It was updated on January 22, 2025.
In the early 2000s, I was informally evicted from my home. Twice. To be evicted means that you are forced out of your home by your landlord (if you rent) or mortgage-lender or bank (if you own).
The first time I was informally evicted, I was a renter. I lived in an apartment near a major city park, restaurants, and public transportation. The location was perfect, which is why the building owner sold the building to a developer. My apartment would be turned into a condo. However, the landlord had to get rid of the tenets first. They paid me $1,000 to move (which covered my moving expenses).
The second time I was informally evicted, as a result of an increase in rent beyond what was reasonable.
At the time, I did not consider either of these moves as evictions until I read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in The American City, by sociologist Matthew Desmond (MacArthur Fellow, Pulitzer Prize, New York Times 10 Best Books of 2016). Desmond studied formal and informal evictions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for his doctoral research uncovering how extensive evictions are and how they impact households.
The Extent of Evictions
In Desmond’s study, he found that one in eight renters in Milwaukee were either formally or informally evicted within the previous two years (p. 330). Figure 1 shows that nearly half of these evictions were informal evictions, like what I experienced.
Figure 1. Informal Evictions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2009-2011
While informal evictions do not leave the same kind of mark on a person’s rental or credit history as a formal eviction, they take place outside of the court system. As a result, the true number of evictions remains unknown because they are not documented by the courts. Moreover, a renter’s right to due process is limited when eviction occurs outside of the courts.
Why Do Evictions Matter?
Research summarized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development finds numerous negative social and health outcomes associated with evictions.
For example, if someone is evicted, they may have to move away from public transportation and be unable to get to work. As a result, they may be fired. If they are fired, then it becomes more difficult for them to obtain housing.
If children are involved (which they often are), they may have to change schools, negatively affecting their education. Evictions are correlated with negative birth outcomes, increased food insecurity, and mental health issues.
Evictions also matter because a home of one’s own is associated with the American Dream. And even though the cost of buying a home has become out of reach for many, being able to stay in place and make a home is still important.
Dig Deeper
- Locate options for affordable housing in your community. What options do people have in your community for affordable housing?
- Do you agree or disagree with Desmond’s views on the home? “The home is the center of life—a refuge from the grind of work, pressure of school, menace of the streets, a place to be ourselves. Home is the wellspring of personhood, where our identity takes root; where civic life begins; America is supposed to be a place where you can better yourself, your family, and your community” (p. 293). How does unstable housing prevent attainment of this kind of life?
- Visit the Eviction Lab. Locate your county to see what the eviction rate is. Compare the rate of your county with a county similar to you or some place that differs (for example, a rural county and an urban county). How would you explain the eviction rate in your county and why it may be similar or different from the other county you selected.
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