Category
Homelessness
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Reports and Publications
Category
Homelessness
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Reports and Publications
Mental Health Outcomes of Tenants Appearing in Eviction Court
2 July 2021
In September of 2020, a longitudinal study was published looking at the housing and mental health outcomes of tenants appearing in eviction court. After recruiting 121 (one hundred and twenty-one) tenants from an eviction court in New Haven, CT, researchers took baseline assessment data from tenants and studied participants over the course of a 9 (nine) month period following their encounter with the courts to assess their housing and mental health outcomes over time.
Results show that at baseline:
- 42% of participants had appeared in eviction court before, 28% had experienced eviction, and 44% had been previously homeless.
- 39% screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder, 37% for posttraumatic stress disorder, 33% for major depressive disorder, and 17% reported suicidal ideation.
At follow-up:
- Participants experienced increased days of housing instability and homelessness over time with some persistent mental health symptoms.
- Less than 1/4 (one quarter) of participants received any mental health treatment during the 9 month period.
- And most importantly, participants who had an eviction-related move experienced greater housing instability over time than participants who did not.
To read the full study, click here.