Communities with lower incomes, higher rental cost burdens and a higher proportion of Black and Hispanic households are among those more likely to experience evictions in San Diego, according to San Diego Housing Commission study released Thursday.
The study, "Analysis of Residential Evictions in the City of San Diego," looked at residential eviction trends from 2017 to 2022 and also found communities with more single-parent households and higher unemployment levels were more likely to experience evictions.
"All San Diegans need and deserve to live in secure and stable housing. This study highlights the housing challenges many residents face, particularly those from historically disenfranchised communities," said San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera. "As a city, we need to do much more to guarantee everyone can have a roof over their head where they can live with dignity.
"Making sure our friends, family and neighbors can afford to remain in and not be unnecessarily removed from their homes adds to the safety and stability of our neighborhoods and is an essential piece of our homeless prevention strategy," he said. "We must take active steps to prevent evictions, ensure people don't fall into homelessness and provide greater housing opportunities for all income levels."
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Some of the study's recommendations include a focus on bolstering tenant protections and considering an eviction-focused, citywide needs assessment, among others.
SDHC initiated the study in February 2023, as households began to face potential evictions in greater numbers upon the conclusion of federal assistance and renter protections implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, a statement from the housing commission read.
"As rents continue to rise and vacancies remain low, individuals and families throughout the city will continue to struggle to pay rent and keep up with other living expenses at the same time," SDHC President & CEO Lisa Jones said. "The potential for eviction is real for many households."
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SDHC contracts with Legal Aid Society of San Diego to operate the city of San Diego Eviction Prevention Program, which launched in December 2021.
"The housing crisis in San Diego is one of the most pressing problems facing our residents today," said Joanne Franciscus, CEO and executive director of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. "More than half of the cases LASSD handles are evictions and other housing-related cases. Evictions not only threaten people's housing but their health, employment, education and financial well-being for years to come."
During the study period, 3,700 renter households annually in San Diego faced formal eviction proceedings before the pandemic, as measured by unlawful detainer case filings, according to SDHC's study. However, that total "does not fully capture tenants who received an eviction notice or faced informal evictions outside of the legal system," the authors wrote.
Research outside San Diego suggests that informal evictions could be twice as high as formal evictions, based on data before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Enterprise Community Partners' 2022 report, "Home for Good: Strategies to Prevent Eviction and Promote Housing Stability."
Additionally, the SDHC study found that the geographic distribution of evictions remained consistent year over year. Central and Southeastern San Diego have historically faced the highest levels of evictions -- neighborhoods such as Downtown San Diego, Southeastern San Diego, Otay Mesa, City Heights, Mission Valley and Tierrasanta. Neighborhoods with a higher share of Black and Hispanic residents, single-parent households and residents who are unemployed were also more likely to experience higher rates of evictions -- such as Southeastern San Diego, Barrio Logan, Encanto, Valencia Park, Lomita, Otay Mesa and Nestor.
"Key takeaways from the study also include that community-based nonprofits, cultural organizations and religious groups are essential partners in eviction prevention efforts," a statement from SDHC reads.
