I thought I knew a lot about displacement, housing insecurity and homelessness. Then I experienced it for real.
I grew up with a roof over my head and got my Ph.D., writing a dissertation about families displaced from their homes. But instead of the American Dream, I found a rude awakening instead.
Jobs in my field are scarce, and I was told I was overqualified for the jobs I could find. Always a fighter, I started my own consulting company, helping nonprofits develop strategies that drive lasting change in families’ lives. Even so, startups are hard to finance and to grow. I struggled, but I was getting by—until I was evicted.
Through my work, I’d been steeped in stories of family displacement. But it felt different to experience it firsthand—with no recourse and no way to hold my landlord accountable. Tenants can theoretically take landlords to court, but that takes money I didn’t have.
Stories like mine are all too common in the midst of our country’s ongoing housing crisis.
There isn’t enough affordable housing to meet the immense need. Wages simply aren’t keeping up with housing costs. There’s currently no city in the country where you can afford a market-rate two-bedroom rental on the minimum wage.
Living unhoused is nonstop stress. I had to move from hotel to hotel, chasing Priceline deals and spiking my stress levels. Unsurprisingly, there are many adverse health outcomes associated with housing insecurity, including delayed access to healthcare, worsening health outcomes and erosion of communities.
Currently, I’m OK. I have housing, Medicaid and a client, too. For now. But I’m acutely aware that we need more tenant rights and landlord accountability. A proposed federal law would offer funding for legal counsel for low-income renters facing eviction. Many states now have laws that prohibit evictions without just cause and those that prohibit excessive rent increases, as well as laws that prevent landlords from discriminating against renters with Section 8 vouchers and those that fund rental assistance.
If someone like me can get trapped in the cycle of housing instability, anyone can. But the solutions are out there—we just need lawmakers to hear us.
Andréa Wilson is the founder and principal consultant at Integrity Consultancy Group.
