Eviction, Health Inequity, and the Spread of COVID-19: Housing Policy as a Primary Pandemic Mitigation Strategy

Benfer, Emily A.; Vlahov, David; Long, Marissa; Walker-Wells, Evan; Pottenger, J. L.; Gonsalves, Gregg; Keene, Danya E.

doi:10.1007/s11524-020-00502-1

Cited by 203 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…As vaccines are rolled out, even small improvements in people’s ability to quarantine and isolate can have an important effect on slowing transmission, hospital admission, and death, especially among those most at risk of covid-19 1020. The next phase of the public health response must align testing strategies with people’s lived realities and establish a readily accessible scheme that provides free and safe accommodation for those in need as well as adequate income support, job protection, and replacement of caring responsibilities.…”

Section: Appropriate Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Support for self-isolation is critical in covid-19 response

Çevik

Baral

Crozier

et al. 2021

BMJ

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Section: Appropriate Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Support for self-isolation is critical in covid-19 response

Çevik

Baral

Crozier

et al. 2021

BMJ

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“…Affordable housing is a key determinant of health, and housing policies have been important drivers of the COVID-19 pandemic's spread and mitigation [1][2][3][4][5]7]. Over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, an alarming share of Americans are confronting major threats of housing instability, alongside joblessness, poverty, eviction, and housing insecurity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If households are not significantly better off in 2021 than they reported being in our survey in July 2020, the next year will see high rates of both COVID-19 infections and housing instability concentrated among lowerincome and racial/ethnic minority households. This poses major health and financial risks for affected families, as the financial, health and housing consequences of eviction are pervasive and severe [1,11]. As a patchwork of limited recent federal protections are set to expire, additional policies are needed to help vulnerable populations, particularly in major cities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From a health equity perspective, these results are especially concerning given the lack of federal action to protect against worsening economic and racial divides in America during the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing aid in federal policies has been stronger for homeowners than renters, despite the more vulnerable pre-pandemic financial position of renters, who are disproportionately Black, Hispanic, and lower-income [1,4]. Though eviction moratoria are important to control COVID-19 transmission [1,7], they are not automatic, they do not cover everyone, and they delay evictions without preventing them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major upheavals to the U.S. economy, leaving millions of households vulnerable for poverty, eviction, housing displacement, and homelessness [1][2][3][4][5]. This situation has been worsened by a lack of sustained federal policy protection for many households.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Looming COVID-19 Housing and Health Crisis in the US: Results from a National and Four-City Survey

Findling¹,

Blendon²,

Benson³

et al. 2021

SJPH

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Affordable housing is a key determinant of health, and it has become a major issue for millions of vulnerable households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about Americans' financial burdens in paying for housing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly after federal aid was initially distributed. In a randomized, representative survey of households nationally and in the four largest U.S. cities during the COVID-19 pandemic (n=3,454), we found widespread, serious burdens reported with paying for housing costs (including rent, mortgage, and utilities). Nationally, forty percent of households with employment disruptions (40%) reported serious financial problems paying their housing costs, including half or more in New York (50%), Los Angeles (50%), and Houston (60%). More than one-third of renters nationally (38%) and in the four largest U.S. cities (Houston -59%, Los Angeles -50%, New York City -38%, Chicago -37%) reported serious problems paying housing costs during this time. Serious cost burdens were concentrated among renters, Black and Hispanic households, and households with recent job or wage losses. The federal government earmarked limited funding specifically toward improving housing stability in December 2020, but it was a fraction of what is believed necessary to provide stability to the housing market for vulnerable groups. A patchwork of housing and financial protection programs are set to expire in 2021 with limited ongoing mechanisms to cover back rent or utility payments, widely placing vulnerable households at risk for health and economic problems unless further policy action is taken.

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Examining Excess Mortality Associated With the COVID-19 Pandemic for Renters Threatened With Eviction

Graetz,

Hepburn,

Gershenson

et al. 2024

JAMA

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ImportanceResidential evictions may have increased excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.ObjectiveTo estimate excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic for renters who received eviction filings (threatened renters).Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective cohort study used an excess mortality framework. Mortality based on linked eviction and death records from 2020 through 2021 was compared with projected mortality estimated from similar records from 2010 through 2016. Data from court records between January 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021, were collected via the Eviction Lab’s Eviction Tracking System. Similar data from court records between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016, also collected by the Eviction Lab, were used to estimate projected mortality during the pandemic. We also constructed 2 comparison groups: all individuals living in the study area and a subsample of those individuals living in high-poverty, high-filing tracts.ExposuresEviction filing.Main Outcomes and MeasuresAll-cause mortality in a given month. The difference between observed mortality and projected mortality was used as a measure of excess mortality associated with the pandemic.ResultsThe cohort of threatened renters during the pandemic period consisted of 282 000 individuals (median age, 36 years [IQR, 28-47]). Eviction filings were 44.7% lower than expected during the study period. The composition of threatened renters by race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic characteristics during the pandemic was comparable with the prepandemic composition. Expected cumulative age-standardized mortality among threatened renters during this 20-month period of the pandemic was 116.5 (95% CI, 104.0-130.3) per 100 000 person-months, and observed mortality was 238.6 (95% CI, 230.8-246.3) per 100 000 person-months or 106% higher than expected. In contrast, expected mortality for the population living in similar neighborhoods was 114.6 (95% CI, 112.1-116.8) per 100 000 person-months, and observed mortality was 142.8 (95% CI, 140.2-145.3) per 100 000 person-months or 25% higher than expected. In the general population across the study area, expected mortality was 83.5 (95% CI, 83.3-83.8) per 100 000 person-months, and observed mortality was 91.6 (95% CI, 91.4-91.8) per 100 000 person-months or 9% higher than expected. The pandemic produced positive excess mortality ratios across all age groups among threatened renters.Conclusions and RelevanceRenters who received eviction filings experienced substantial excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Eviction, Health Inequity, and the Spread of COVID-19: Housing Policy as a Primary Pandemic Mitigation Strategy

Cited by 203 publications

References 57 publications

Support for self-isolation is critical in covid-19 response

Support for self-isolation is critical in covid-19 response

The Looming COVID-19 Housing and Health Crisis in the US: Results from a National and Four-City Survey

Examining Excess Mortality Associated With the COVID-19 Pandemic for Renters Threatened With Eviction

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