“Eviction is clearly a persistent, widespread issue in our community,” said Brooke Wagner, director of the Clark County Department of Reentry.
At the Reentry Department, Wagner said they see how past evictions and limited rental options affect the people they serve.
“Many landlords automatically deny anyone with an eviction on their record, even if they’re stable now. It also increases stress and makes recovery harder,” she said.
“Locally, 55% of our reentry clients have had at least one eviction, which shows how deeply this affects people trying to rebuild.”
However, evictions do not impact all communities equally across the country, Wagner said. Women, especially single mothers, and racial minorities are disproportionately evicted, and households with children also experience the highest eviction rates, which creates long-term instability for families.
“These patterns reflect broader systemic barriers in housing access and affordability, and they underscore why eviction prevention efforts are so critical,” she said.
Millions evicted each year, data suggests
There is little comprehensive data on evictions because it’s based primarily on court records and surveys, which collect different data and “may not paint the whole picture,” according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GOA). Court records only represent filed evictions, not informal ones, and survey accuracy is affected by question design, response rate and other factors.
Estimates suggest millions of renters are evicted each year, according to GOA, and the most recent national eviction estimates are based on those two sources (court records and surveys):
The Eviction Lab at Princeton University estimated 7.8 evictions were filed per 100 renting households nationally in 2018, which were based on available court record data and statistical modeling.
In 2017, the Census Bureau’s American Housing survey included questions that count forced moves due to evictions. Based on the results of those questions, researches estimated a national physical eviction rate of 5.3%, but researches noted the survey’s small sample size may limit the accuracy of the estimate.
“Evictions can have consequences for a family’s mental health and housing stability, be expensive for the parties involved and increase court caseloads,” according to GOA.
The best advice Wagner has for anyone facing eviction is to act quickly.
“Don’t ignore notices, communicate with your landlord and reach out for help right away. Knowing your rights and showing up to court are also critical steps in protecting housing stability,” she said.
Understanding challenges, brainstorming solutions
The department held an event last month for the documentary “Evicting the American Dream,“ a local project that explores “systemic issues and insidious practices” that weigh on families and children in need of housing, to discuss unjust evictions and housing instability.
One of the goals of the event was to “bring more voices together and better understand everyone’s experiences with housing in Clark County,” Wagner said.
She said the department is “committed to continuing this conversation and bringing more voices into the room,” and hopes to partner with local organizations to elevate those voices of tenants, landlords, service providers and people with lived experiences.
“Our goal is to create ongoing, community-driven spaces where we can better understand the challenges, brainstorm solutions and work together toward a more stable and equitable housing system,” Wagner said.
Wagner added improving housing stability in the county is going to take ongoing collaboration with community partners, landlords and local leaders to find real solutions they can work toward, including eviction sealing, expanded rental assistance and stronger prevention programs.
“By continuing to lift up the voices of those most affected, we can build a more stable and equitable housing system for everyone,” she said.
What local organizations are seeing
There are several organizations in the community who have seen the challenges around housing and renting, including St. Vincent de Paul, which works closely with people looking for housing assistance and see the barriers tenants face every day, and McKinley Hall, which provide services and resources to those affected by substance abuse disorders.
At St. Vincent de Paul, they frequently encounter neighbors who have eviction notices, said Director Casey Rollins. For example, she said within one day, she personally interacted with six people who were bordering on or were already homeless — three because of imminent evictions and three who refused to conform to the regulations for entering “shelter.”
“A man texted me repeatedly because he is homeless. A 67-year-old lady sought our help because she lost her job and was evicted after depression set in when her husband died. She stopped taking care of herself and her bills. Now she has lost everything after 38 years working and paying into the system,” Rollins said.
Rollins said many evictions are the result of months of refusal to pay rent, with late penalties that are “cost prohibited and completely out of control,” and monthly rent costs now far exceed the average monthly budget of most renters in the community.
“One month’s rent should cost no more than one week’s payroll,” she said.
She added another reason for high eviction rates are likely because many property managers are out of state owners and disconnected from the tenants, but at St. Vincent de Paul they try to advocate as much for landlords as they do for tenants, Rollins said.
“It is essential that landlords maintain effective agency relationships in order to foster better property management regarding high risk tenants. It is critical that neighbors in need maintain personal financial accountability while self-advocating to assert their renter’s rights,” she said.
At McKinley Hall, they have housed about 200 adult men and women, not including children, so far this year in recovery homes, according to CEO Wendy Doolittle.
“Most had nowhere else to go while trying to find stability in their recovery, secure employment and work toward becoming self-sufficient,” she said. “But even for those who are working, rent is still too high to manage along with everything else (and) all of the other financial responsibilities. Many of our clients have jobs, but their wages just aren’t enough to live on.”
For the population they serve, Doolittle said a few barriers tenants face related to housing and renting in the area are a lack of money for deposits, the high cost of rent, trying to afford a place with enough bedrooms for the size of the family, limited affordable housing stock and criminal records.
“The economy is tough right now. It is hard to pay rent, renter insurance, utilities, transportation and food with a pizza delivery salary. The cliff effect is a real concept. People need support in these areas just to stay afloat,” she said.
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