The Urban Institute’s How Housing Matters website has published an enlightening piece summarizing the current state of nationwide eviction data-gathering, as well as describing the critical role this data can play in informing public policy. As Eviction Lab Principal Investigator Matthew Desmond explains, “Eviction is a giant problem that we only know is giant because of being in touch with communities.

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When Matthew Desmond and his Eviction Lab research team offered us the task of mapping and visualizing their first-of-its-kind database of eviction statistics, we (the web team) were excited, honored, and humbled. And then, when things began to get real and the project took shape, we drew a collective deep breath as we grasped the magnitude of the challenges ahead of us.

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First there was the book Evicted, with its heartbreaking stories of families and individuals struggling to maintain stable shelter. Next came the release of The Eviction Lab’s database, revealing the often-surprising scale and span of the eviction crisis. Now eviction and its consequences are explored in a 3-dimensional, immersive presentation at The National Building Museum’s Evicted exhibition.

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Imagine if we didn’t know how many Americans were incarcerated each year or how many dropped out of high school, got divorced, or lost their job. If we don’t know how big a problem something is, where it is happening, or how many families are touched by it, then how can we begin the critical work of finding solutions?

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Evictionlab.org can be a resource for teachers working with students on data analysis, public policy, social studies, and more. Students in service organizations or those who act as representatives to local governing bodies may also benefit from learning about housing issues in their community. We would love to hear from teachers who use evictionlab.

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