The study found that one renter-occupied household in 20 is evicted each year in Milwaukee. In neighborhoods where blacks are the majority, the study found that number jumps to one in 10 renter-occupied households evicted every year.
The study was undertaken by Matt Desmond, a doctoral student in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He analyzed court records and a did a yearâ??s worth of field work that included living in a south side trailer park and in a rooming house on the cityâ??s north side.
During his research, Desmond spent time with tenants fighting evictions and packing their belongings. He also spent time with landlords to get their side of the eviction story.
“This is a unique study because thereâ??s a lot of information about foreclosures, but not much on evictions,” said Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty and a professor in UW-Madisonâ??s La Follette School of Public Affairs.