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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 the risk of alcohol-related impacts like suicidal thoughts and domestic violence,” Michelle explains. “Likewise, domestic violence and job loss associated with alcohol use may increase the risk of eviction.”
Because people can experience an increased risk of both eviction and alcohol-related impacts — and they can sometimes be related — it’s important to identify resources and assets that can protect against both issues.
Michelle’s research relied on a gracious group of mostly Black, heterosexual women in 12 different Pittsburgh ZIP codes who shared their lived experiences about eviction and alcohol use.
The research featured initial and follow-up interviews, as well as photos. Participants used their own cameras to explore their communities, snap photos of resources they felt would prevent or reduce eviction and/or alcohol use — and explain why those resources were important.
One part of the research findings was expected: Organizations that provide help with housing needs — along with legal assistance, financial help, and wraparound services — are crucial for preventing eviction and reducing eviction threat. “Participants experienced rent burden and described living paycheck-to-paycheck,” explains Michelle. “Several shared how receiving legal or financial help to prevent eviction reduced their stress, which helped them consume less alcohol.” Organizations like Just Mediation and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh offer crucial help with housing security and other needs. However, identifying and connecting to an organization can sometimes be challenging for people who are dealing with eviction and/or alcohol-related impacts.
That’s where Michelle’s research showed something unexpected: The importance of community spaces. “Thanks to participant’s photos, we learned that community spaces that are safe, appealing, and easy to get to have multiple benefits,” says Michelle. “They can increase access to information about eviction prevention resources. They can also lower stress, which can reduce alcohol consumption and related impacts.”
Churches fall into this category, for example, as do public libraries, community centers, alcohol-free recreation events, and outdoor green spaces where people can exercise and connect with nature.
The importance of supportive social connections in these spaces can’t be underestimated or overlooked Michelle feels. “They offer practical, emotional, and social benefits,” she says.
Through participants’ photos, Michelle learned that recreation spaces, social and spiritual engagement, and opportunities to exercise can serve as an alternative to drinking. “Access to spaces and activities that don’t center around alcohol can help individuals build connections with others who drink less,” she explains. “This, in turn, contributes to lower alcohol consumption.
“All of this can lessen people’s feelings of isolation and despair,” Michelle continues. “The spaces make it easier for people to feel less stressed and more empowered to reach out for help when they need it — and ultimately improve their well-being and health outcomes.”
In one photo, a participant captured an image of a local library’s community bulletin board, which offered information about community events and resources. Along with the photo, the participant noted, “Sometimes getting help can feel kind of intimidating because you got to call during a certain time, or you got to go in person, you got to do all this, bring all these documents…. It’s comforting to know that this information’s here and (you) can just take what you need and use what you need to use and it (does) not feel intimidating.”
In another photo, a different participant snapped an image of an outdoor walking path next to a river with the Pittsburgh cityscape in the background. The participant noted, “I tend to drink when I’m stressed, but going on this walk really helps to calm the stress down, and… limits the drinking of alcohol, which can lead to negative effects.”
Michelle plans to share what she’s learned with other researchers and organizations that work on issues related to housing security and alcohol-related impacts. She hopes to continue investigating how to improve access to these community resources and spreading the message that community safe spaces matter.
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