Mitigating Eviction Risk for Residents in the City of Dallas
Child Poverty Action Lab
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This project is focused on understanding which communities in Dallas are disproportionately affected by eviction and how eviction is associated with various aspects of people and place. Analysis will help shape a strategy to support more Dallas families upstream of an eviction -- i.e., to help them find financial stability in advance of a crisis event.
Background and Motivation
In 2016 in Dallas, there were 24,834 eviction filings and 4,345 evictions – nearly 12 evictions every day (The Eviction Lab). Residential stability matters for a family’s mental and physical wellbeing, educational success, and connection to a community. Involuntary displacement leads to greater material hardship for families, poorer health and avoidable healthcare costs, negative impacts on academic achievement, and greater depression and parental stress. Housing instability costs $784.31 per family per year in avoidable health and education expenses (Children’s HealthWatch).
The Child Poverty Action Lab, in partnership with the City of Dallas, wants to better understand involuntary displacement (namely, eviction) in Dallas so that we might deploy funding, resources, and services in such a way that stabilizes families in advance of a crisis event.
Project Description
This project will include analysis of local eviction data and how it relates to other data sources (e.g., resident demographics, student mobility, etc.), and will help CPAL and the City of Dallas to build a fact-base on housing instability that can be used to influence policy and programs. Data questions that we are interested in answering include: (1) Which neighborhoods have had the highest rates of eviction? Which apartment complexes? (2) In neighborhoods where eviction is the highest, what are the demographics (e.g., racial/ethnic breakdown, single-parent versus two-parent households, average household size, etc.)? How do each of these demographic variables relate to eviction/what's the relationship between each and eviction? (3) How does household income relate to eviction? (4) Is there a relationship between real estate transactions and evictions? What about construction/new development and evictions? (5) How does eviction relate to student mobility? (6) In neighborhoods with high rates of eviction, what is the breakdown of renters versus homeowners? What is the average rental price?
Intended Impact
We are particularly interested in identifying and working with families upstream of eviction: today, most nonprofit organizations and agencies that work with families who face housing instability begin services at the point of eviction or shortly thereafter (e.g., emergency shelter). Eviction is a catastrophic event for families, and we are eager to help them find their footing before any legal action takes place. The DSSG data analysis will drive the design of a more informed and targeted strategy for reducing involuntary displacement – we hope to drastically cut evictions and reduce involuntary displacement in the years ahead.
Internal Stakeholders
Child Poverty Action Lab: Ashley Flores, Senior Director (ashley@childpovertyactionlab.org), Owen Wilson-Chavez, Director of Analytics (owen@childpovertyactionlab.org), Alan Cohen, President and CEO (alan@childpovertyactionlab.org)
City of Dallas: Genesis Gavino, Resilience Officer (genesis.gavino@dallascityhall.com), Liz Cedillo-Pereira, Chief of Equity and Inclusion (liz.cedillopereira@dallascityhall.com)
Internal People Available During the Project
Child Poverty Action Lab: Ashley Flores, Senior Director (ashley@childpovertyactionlab.org), Owen Wilson-Chavez, Director of Analytics (owen@childpovertyactionlab.org)
City of Dallas: Genesis Gavino, Resilience Officer (genesis.gavino@dallascityhall.com)