NLIHC and the Innovation for Justice (i4J) Program at the University of Arizona released a research note, “Costs of COVID-19 Evictions,” on the public costs of eviction-related homelessness that will incur in the United States if emergency rental assistance is not provided. The downstream costs of new emergency shelter needs, inpatient and emergency medical care, foster care, and juvenile delinquency could be as high as $129 billion, depending on how well renters are able to keep up with their rent in the coming months.
The report builds upon i4J’s Cost of Eviction Calculator, an online tool that allows users to estimate select community costs of services associated with a rise in eviction-related homelessness. NLIHC and i4J estimate the cost of emergency shelter, inpatient and emergency medical services, foster care, and juvenile delinquency for people experiencing homelessness as a result of eviction. The estimates are drawn from existing research on rates of utilization and typical costs of social services for people experiencing homelessness.
Depending on the number of households evicted, public costs would range between $62 billion and $129 billion. These costs are in addition to the well-documented personal costs of eviction on individuals and the costs to landlords of unpaid rent. The report does not provide a comprehensive account of all costs likely to be incurred by governments and public agencies in the wake of a wave of evictions, but it provides a starting point for estimating those costs.
The report is at: https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/costs-of-covid19-evictions.pdf
The Innovation for Justice Cost of Eviction Calculator is at: https://uarizona.neotalogic.com/a/costofevictioncalculator