Housing instability in Marion County: evictions before & during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted housing instability as a major public health issue. Some of the primary measures used to curb the spread of COVID-19, such as shelter-in-place orders and physical distancing requirements, depend upon having access to private spaces and—in particular—safe and stable housing. Meanwhile, a recent estimate from New America found that more than 5 million people in the United States experience eviction or foreclosure each year. While federal and state measures have offered some relief to residents, there is still a predicted wave of evictions on the horizon, especially for those not living in federally funded housing. With an eye to the predicted wave of evictions, this brief examines the recent history of evictions in Marion County, Indiana. We provide a baseline assessment of the pre-pandemic status quo of evictions, as well as an assessment of the gaps in data and their implications for how trends in evictions are interpreted locally.