Losing a home sends families to shelters, abandoned houses, and the street. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Eviction reveals people’s vulnerability and desperation as well as their ingenuity and guts. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Since the publication of ‘Evicted’, I have had countless conversations with concerned families across America. Teachers in under-served communities have told me about high classroom turnover rates, which hinder students’ ability to reach their full potential. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Public-sector union organisers have told me about how firefighters, police officers, and nurses can no longer afford to live in the cities they serve and protect. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Healthcare providers have helped me see that decent, safe housing can promote physical and mental wellness; and engaged citizens have shown me the civic potential of stable, vibrant blocks where neighbours know one another by name. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Between 2007 and 2010, the average white family experienced an 11% reduction in wealth, but the average black family lost 31% of its wealth. The average Hispanic family lost 44.7%. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Eviction riots erupted during the Depression, though the number of poor families who faced eviction each year was a fraction of what it is today. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
In February 1932, the ‘Times’ published an account of community resistance to the eviction of three families in the Bronx, observing, ‘Probably because of the cold, the crowd numbered only 1,000.’ Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Hundreds of data-mining companies sell landlords tenant-screening reports that list past evictions and court filings. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
Between 2009 and 2011, more than one in eight Milwaukee renters were displaced involuntarily, whether by formal or informal eviction, landlord foreclosure, or building condemnation. Matthew Desmond Read Quote
