Evictions, legal counsel, and population health: A mixed methods study

Abstract

Background

Access to stable, affordable housing is critical for physical and mental health. As affordable housing has become increasingly inaccessible for many American households, eviction has become a common experience for renters. Existing eviction research has motivated an ongoing movement to provide universal legal counsel to evicted tenants through Right to Counsel (RTC) initiatives. While prior studies have explored the potential population health benefits of RTC programs, more research is needed to comprehensively understand the effectiveness of RTC as a public health intervention.

Methods

Using a sequential exploratory design, this study first presents qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with evicted tenants who received legal aid from Washington State's first-in-the-nation statewide RTC program (n = 45). These results are supplemented with descriptive, quantitative analysis of case outcomes (n = 970 cases from January 2024) which tenants identified as being related to mental and physical health outcomes.

Findings

Attorneys help their clients manage the psychological and logistical burdens of an eviction, resulting in the perception of reduced stress. Legal representation is linked to case outcomes which could improve short-term housing security and long-term housing trajectories. Findings also demonstrate that tenants are approximately half as likely as their landlords to have legal representation during their eviction proceedings despite the program's broad eligibility criteria.

Conclusions

Results demonstrate the potential health benefits of legal representation for tenants. While prior research has identified many health-related benefits of legal representation for tenants, policymakers may need to increase representation rates to maximize the population health benefits of RTC programs.