June 12, 2021 • Kyle Witzigman

Matthew Desmond uses statistics, yes, to paint a picture of housing injustice. But the real value in his writing is through his ethnographic research that humanizes and contextualizes challenges tenants face in rental markets.

Desmond explores two central points in his work, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.

One: Tens of millions of people are forced to pay too much of their income for housing - sometimes at 50 or more percent of their earnings. This leaves smaller amounts for food, healthcare, and other necessities for survival. The percentage of people paying high shares of their income for rental housing jumped during the Great Recession. They have not gone down. Since then, the pandemic exacerbated a growing problem with the financial shock sent through our global economic system.

In line with my conversation with Andrea Ringer on the causes and consequences of housing policy, Desmond makes a second point to show that evictions are not only a consequence but also a cause of the problem. Evictions mean adults lose jobs and kids transfer districts, falling further behind in work and school. People move into inadequate housing and face mental and emotional tolls from their housing uncertainty.

Desmond brings these points home with contextualized stories from tenants who face eviction or have been evicted. His work honors their dignity and highlights tenants’ rights to fair and affordable housing.