We’re in an Evictions Crisis. Here Are 4 Steps to End It.
When housing is a profit-making venture rather than a human right, we’re perpetually stuck in an evictions crisis. Right now, that crisis is particularly dire. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Homeless people and advocates set up their tents and hold a rally outside City Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they are asking for a moratorium on raids against encampments, October 9, 2022. (Michael Siluk / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In our law school clinic at Indiana University, my students and I represent tenants facing eviction. A few weeks ago, we saw two clients in court that I’ll call Mary and Sheryl.
Mary has five young children. Her husband is in prison. Mary has a full-time day job, but her hours are unpredictable. After falling behind on rent, Mary took on a second job, a third-shift stint as a nurse’s assistant at a nursing home. The overnight childcare arrangements are sketchy — she would rather not talk about it.
When asked about when she found time to sleep while working both night and day, Mary sighed and shrugged. “I’ll sleep when I catch up on rent,” she says. We hope the judge gives her time to do so before the family ends up like past clients who are sleeping in their cars.
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