Millions of Americans are evicted each year, and a whole cottage industry has developed around it — eviction movers, eviction storage, businesses that provide landlords with new tenants as soon as old tenants are evicted, and data mining companies that provide reports to landlords about prospective renters’ eviction history.

Why has the number of evictions risen to this crisis point? Because we have an underlying problem — a lack of affordable and safe homes.

According to Rental Insecurity: The Threat of Evictions to America’s Renters, a recent report by Apartment List, one in five renters has recently struggled or been unable to pay rent. Other findings include that:

  • Black households experience the highest rate of evictions, even when controlling for education and income
  • Households with children are twice as likely to experience an eviction threat, regardless of marital status
  • Evictions have been tied to poor health outcomes in both adults and children
  • Evictions are a leading cause of homelessness

Read the full article about the affordable housing crisis and poverty by Gretchen Greiner-Lott at dailywrag.com.