11 Million Households Could Be Evicted Over the next Four Months
Every year, about 2.3 million American renter households receive eviction papers at some point. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we might see that many evictions in one month, Fast Company reported. Global advisory firm Stout, with input from the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (NCCRC), used census survey results and income data to develop a new eviction estimation tool that estimates how many households could be at risk of eviction as moratoriums end, courts reopen, and rent relief efforts fall short. More than 16 million renter households are at risk of eviction, according to the tool, and more than 11 million households could be served with eviction papers over the next four months. Since April, weekly census surveys have been asking Americans if they paid their last month’s rent on time and how confident they are that they’ll be able to pay next month, along with questions meant to assess employment status, food security, and other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stout eviction estimation tool combines that with data about how rent-burdened Americans are by income level. With a heavier rent burden, there’s a greater chance that someone’s answer of having “moderate confidence” or “no confidence” that they can pay rent will actually translate to an eviction or more rent instability. In most of the U.S., there’s no right to counsel for housing court; on average, 90% of landlords are represented in court, but only 10% or less of tenants are, which Pollock says skews how likely tenants are to win eviction cases.
