The DC SAFE Bookshelf discussion

Our next book pick is here! This month, one of our community partners, Housing Up, is recommending "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" by Matthew Desmond. All insights and questions are welcomed and also, here are some guiding discussion questions to get us started!

1. Throughout Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, we learn how eviction traps poor people in a cycle of poverty, how it can lead to a loss of a job, how it makes securing future housing more difficult, and have other damaging effects on families. Author Matthew Desmond argues that eviction is “a cause and not just a condition of poverty”. What does he mean by this statement? When you think of causes of poverty, what comes to mind? Why are the poor disproportionately impacted by eviction?

2. Desmond talks about how eviction impacts women. Specifically, he describes the nuisance property ordinance which allows “police departments to penalize landlords for the behavior of their tenants.” In Milwaukee, WI, if 911 is called three or more times in 30 days, the property is designated a nuisance. One of the most common nuisance activities is domestic violence, and regardless of the reason for the call, landlords are encouraged to evict the tenant of a property designated a nuisance. What issue is the nuisance law trying to address and what is the impact of the law? How does the law impact the cycle of violence? How else are women impacted by eviction?

3. Considering the devasting impacts of eviction, what government, legal and/or community-based resources must be in place to prevent evictions? Given the links between domestic violence and eviction, how can we ensure survivors have access to safe, affordable housing?

From Housing Up: "As part of the DC SAFE Bookshelf, we’re recommending Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond. The Pulitzer Prize-winning book follows eight families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as they struggle to maintain their housing over the course of a year. Evicted explores why eviction is such a destructive policy and how the practice is often the cause of poverty rather than the result. Desmond also discusses the ways women and domestic violence survivors can be disproportionately impacted by eviction processes. The book underscores that access to safe, stable housing is both a right and a necessity."