There’s a Link Between Evictions and Homelessness

Homeless in Pasadena (Photo – Staff).

The Pasadena and Alhambra city councils both will hold emergency meetings this week to consider retroactive rent increases and eviction moratoriums until the statewide Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) takes effect January 1, 2020.

By Sean McMorris

In light of the urgency to enact tenant protection laws, it is important to consider the effect on homelessness of posthaste evictions in advance of the implementation of AB 1482.

Evictions contribute to homelessness

Not all the homeless are homeless because of addiction or mental health issues. Many are homeless because they were evicted from their homes and are unable to find new affordable housing. Indeed, temporary homelessness as a result of eviction can lead to health and addiction problems that result in chronic homelessness.

The nonprofit research organization, The Economic Roundtable, found that “Poverty and inability to pay for housing may be the precipitating cause for first becoming homeless. Over time, however, social disconnection and legal, medical and behavioral health problems emerge as increasingly formidable barriers to escaping homelessness.”

A 2018 study by the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty found that “Evictions, whether through formal court proceedings or other methods of involuntary displacement from housing, are a direct cause of homelessness—either immediately or after social safety networks are exhausted.” The study references multiple surveys in various states that found that evictions have a significant impact on the likelihood of homelessness.

Similarly, A 2018 Economic Roundtable meta-analysis of homelessness in L.A. shows that 11% of L.A.’s homeless population identified eviction as the cause of their homelessness. The same study showed that 80% of L.A.’s homeless identified assistance with getting housing as the most important factor in helping them escape homelessness.

58% of Pasadena’s homeless were living in Pasadena

These findings seem to correlate with data compiled from Pasadena’s most recent homeless count, which found that 58% of the City’s homeless were living in Pasadena before they became homeless. Of the 542 homeless individuals counted in Pasadena, 14% reported eviction as the cause of their homelessness. The report goes on to state, “Of the respondents who reported eviction being the primary cause of their homelessness, 41% identified as having been evicted in Pasadena. People experiencing homelessness in Pasadena are, more often than not, our neighbors who lacked the necessary support and faced significant barriers to housing stability.”

25% increase in Alhambra’s homeless population

While Pasadena saw a decrease in its homeless population from the previous year, Alhambra saw a 25% increase in its homeless population. Pasadena has an affordable housing ordinance and multiple permanent supportive housing complexes. Alhambra currently has neither.

County of Los Angeles

Overall, the County of Los Angeles saw a 12% increase in homelessness in 2019, with a counted 58,936 homeless. According to the Greater Los Angeles 2019 Homeless Count,  53% of L.A. County’s homeless population cites economic hardship as the primary cause of their homelessness. 63% report being without housing for the first time in their lives. 71% do not have a serious mental illness and/or report substance use disorder. (See summary breakdown here).

In reference to L.A. County Homeless Count findings, Los Angeles Housing Services Authority Executive Director Peter Lynn said, “…our regional housing affordability crisis continues to drive thousands into homelessness. It’s critical that we work with local community members and every level of government to increase affordable housing, limit rent increases, and prevent unjust evictions…”

A 2019 study by Public Counsel and the UCLA School of Law found that there were more than 505,000 court evictions filed in Los Angeles County from 2010-2019, the most in the state.  During the same time period, there was a 52% increase in homelessness in L.A. County.

Currently, one-third of L.A. County households are severely rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 50% of their yearly income on rent. This is likely a primary contributor to the region’s homelessness crisis. A 2018 study concluded that “the expected homeless rate in a community increases sharply once median rental costs exceed 32% of median income.”

Why it matters

The evidence suggests that evictions, unjust or otherwise, have contributed greatly to L.A. County’s homelessness crisis.

Cities play an important, if not primary, role in preventing homelessness through the implementation of affordable housing and tenants’ rights laws. It’s time for cities to start treating the causes, not just the symptoms, of homelessness. Acceptance of the causes of homelessness is the first step in that process. The recognition by Pasadena and Alhambra of no-fault evictions as a cause of homelessness and acting to implement moratoriums on the practice is a start. Both cities must act swiftly this week to prevent further displacement and homelessness in our communities.