Content Warning: This story contains descriptions of severe mental health crisis.
Getting evicted is not an isolated event in one's life. Even though it can feel like you've hit rock bottom, things often get worse AFTER an eviction. It can loom over someone for years, and now that pandemic-related protections to prevent them are ending, evictions are about to skyrocket.
The upcoming eviction crisis is about to hit families all over the country – but it's unfortunately hitting Black people the hardest. Losing the comfort and security of your home is a heartbreaking loss – but evictions also have a wide range of other impacts.
Evictions can cause long-term trauma and financial burdens. Most of the time, people are evicted because they owe their landlord money. These unpaid rent payments can negatively affect your credit, and make future landlords not want to rent to you. But that's not all.
Evictions also powerfully affect mental health and physical well being. People that have been evicted are more likely to attempt suicide and are often forced to live in areas with higher crime rates.
Housing should be a human right in this country. The upcoming eviction crisis will have major impacts on our community – and the suffering from the pandemic is about to explode once eviction protections expire.