Community spaces can help reduce eviction and alcohol-related impacts

Getty Images Marginalized communities suffer unequally from “rent burden.” Rent burden happens when someone spends more than 30% of their income on rent. This hardship makes it difficult for people to afford other necessities like food, clothing, and utilities.& Like other inequities, rent burden for marginalized Black communities is the result of historic, systemic, and economic factors, including redlining and other discriminatory practices. Rent burden can lead to housing eviction (situations in which landlords force renters to move). Eviction, research shows, has a negative impact on people’s physical and mental health, including chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as anxiety, depression, and substance use. This isn’t surprising. Eviction is a traumatic event. Not only eviction itself, but also the threat of eviction can be stressful. The threat can feel never-ending and can leave renters feeling trapped. MICHELLE DOUGHERTY Michelle Dougherty, University of Pittsburgh PhD student in the School of Public Health’s Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, is a researcher studying eviction and its impact on health outcomes. Michelle’s latest work focuses on eviction, alcohol use, alcohol-related impacts, and how they interact. & “What we’ve learned is that in some cases eviction may increase alcohol use and...