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.