Tracking evictions and foreclosures
Eviction prevention was front page news in the first several years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The nation was focused on keeping people housed as health risks and economic instability increased. During this time, states including Massachusetts instituted eviction and foreclosure moratoria, provided high levels of renter and homeowner assistance, and created new support systems to keep people safely housed during a period of immense uncertainty. As vaccines rolled out, COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed and economic recovery began; however, as a sense of normalcy returned, attention and resources shifted away from eviction and foreclosure prevention.
When the MHP Center for Housing Data (CHD) team released the first edition of the Housing Stability Monitor in the fall of 2023, Senior Research Analyst Matija Janković hoped the report would serve as a reminder that eviction and foreclosure rates in the state continue to need attention. “There hasn’t been adequate focus on housing stability issues after the early years of the pandemic and the Housing Stability Monitor is a data-driven approach that sheds light on the real-life experiences of people dealing with housing instability,” said Janković, who leads the research effort for CHD.
The Housing Stability Monitor is an ongoing research series that provides quarterly updates on eviction and foreclosure trends in Massachusetts and examines patterns in eviction filings and foreclosure activities, exploring causes and identifying key trends, patterns, and geographic concentrations. Amid fluctuating unemployment rates, wavering legal protections, changes in crucial support systems, and increasing rents and home sale prices, CHD is regularly monitoring trends in eviction and foreclosure rates.
During the pandemic, Massachusetts renters meeting certain qualifications could get support through the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), or Subsidized Housing Emergency Rental Assistance (SHERA). In addition, Massachusetts homeowners impacted by COVID-19 had access to help through the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF), funded by the federal American Rescue Plan. Those programs have since concluded.
Current data show a concerning increase in eviction filings and executions across the state since these critical safeguards and programs ended. Starting in August of 2022, eviction filings have consistently surpassed the average pre-pandemic rate of 2,600 total monthly filings, as landlords initiated eviction filings against more than 3,000 households in each month of this period. While foreclosure trends remain below pre-pandemic levels, the closing of HAF, which helped many households keep current on mortgage payments, is expected to result in increased foreclosures in the coming years.
CHD’s efforts to keep housing stability at the forefront of public conversation are gaining traction. Janković has spoken with members of the media reporting stories on eviction and foreclosure trends, including from the Boston Globe, Boston.com, and the Springfield Republican. Human interest stories have centered on individuals facing eviction, citing the Housing Stability Monitor to present the statistics and trends that set these stories in a broader context.
“The Housing Stability Monitor was a useful tool in building out some of our recent stories on the housing crisis,” said Namu Sampath, reporter for The Springfield Republican/MassLive. “The monitor’s data provided key insights into the housing crisis in Springfield compared to other similar-sized cities [as well as] the rest of the state.”
Janković has also fielded calls from municipal leaders wanting to use the data for presentations, including Springfield’s Director of Housing and Homelessness, Gerri McCafferty. Her department is documenting eviction filing rates in the city for its housing needs assessment. She’s found value in the organized and accessible Housing Stability Monitor content, saying, “It’s great that this data is publicly available and pulls the information together in a way that is really helpful.”
The CHD team will continue to track and analyze eviction and foreclosure data and plans to expand the Housing Stability Monitor to explore trends in homelessness and the shelter system. This report will continue to evolve in response to the growing challenges Massachusetts residents face. By continuing to release updates to this research, the CHD team hopes to keep the attention of community advocates, journalists, and policymakers on the scale and scope of housing instability, supporting critical policy responses to improve housing outcomes for our state’s most vulnerable residents.