Evictions harm neighborhoods, increasing stress and premature birth risks for mothers.
Evictions have long been seen as a financial setback or a housing problem, but growing research shows the damage goes far deeper. Studies are now linking housing instability to health problems that can affect entire neighborhoods. In Detroit, where rents are rising quickly and illegal evictions are common, the effects are being measured not only in lost housing but also in premature births and long-term health concerns.
A team led by social epidemiologist Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson at The Ohio State University studied Black mothers in Metro Detroit and found that women living in neighborhoods with high eviction filings faced a much higher risk of delivering their babies too early. Premature birth remains one of the leading causes of infant death in the United States, making this connection especially troubling. What makes the findings even more striking is that the women studied did not always have to be directly affected by eviction themselves. The stress of seeing neighbors pushed out was enough to influence their health.
The research is part of a larger project called Social Epidemiology to Combat Unjust Residential Evictions, or SECURE. It followed more than 800 participants across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties in Michigan, tracking them for several years. Interviews and surveys revealed that a significant number of people had experienced eviction as children, and those early events were tied to lasting health struggles in adulthood. The project has already produced several published papers, strengthening the evidence that housing instability is not only a social problem but also a public health threat.
Evictions have been studied for their immediate effects on families—job loss, debt, homelessness—but this research shows they also have ripple effects that stretch across neighborhoods. Sealy-Jefferson describes them as “spillover effects,” meaning that the instability caused by one family’s eviction does not stop at their door. Instead, it spreads stress and fear through the community, often worsening health outcomes for others nearby.
For Black women, the issue is especially severe. Research from Princeton’s Eviction Lab has shown that Black women face the highest eviction rates of any group in the country, even higher than Black men. Decades of discriminatory housing practices, including redlining and uneven access to resources, have left Black families more vulnerable to eviction. Other studies have noted that landlords may treat Black women differently, sometimes taking advantage of their tendency to avoid confrontation. These factors combine to create eviction rates that are far out of proportion, with lasting effects on maternal and infant health.
The COVID-19 pandemic made matters worse. While emergency eviction bans offered temporary relief, many Black renters fell behind on payments during the crisis and remain at higher risk of losing housing compared to white renters. As of 2023, nearly a quarter of Black renters were still behind on rent, compared to about one in ten white renters.
Lawmakers and tenant advocates argue that stronger protections are needed. Some Michigan lawmakers are proposing bills that would hold landlords accountable for making timely repairs, while local tenant groups are pushing for “right to renew” policies that would give renters more security against rising rents and unexpected lease terminations. Proposals such as rental assistance, right-to-counsel programs, and stronger enforcement of fair housing laws are also being discussed.
Sealy-Jefferson has gone a step further by calling for reparations, arguing that piecemeal solutions will not be enough to fix problems rooted in systemic racism. She says addressing eviction fairly requires tackling the broader history of unequal treatment in housing and access to resources.
The research makes clear that eviction is not just about losing a home. It is about the stress that spreads through a community, the health risks that begin before a child is even born, and the widening gap in opportunities between groups. Preventing eviction, researchers argue, is as much about protecting public health as it is about keeping a roof over someone’s head.
Sources:
Research shows evictions are a public health problem. Can eviction prevention be a solution?
Neighborhood Threat of Eviction over Time and Risk of Preterm Birth in Black American Women
Join the conversation!