UC student on mission to prevent eviction

By Noelle Zielinski

Cincinnati area residents at risk of eviction may get a temporary reprieve — and an opportunity to stay in their homes — thanks in part to research by a University of Cincinnati graduate student.

Elaina Johns-Wolfe, a doctoral candidate in sociology in UC’s McMicken College of Arts & Sciences, investigated the relationship between affordable housing and racial segregation. Specifically, she studied how a lack of affordable housing contributes to issues such as neighborhood poverty segregation.

Some 18 months later, her findings prompted Cincinnati City Council to launch a $400,000 eviction-prevention program to help people who fall behind on their rent. The success of the program will be determined by how many people stay in their homes.

The project shows the urban impact UC is having in Cincinnati that is reflected in the university's strategic plan called Next Lives Here.

Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Landsman said $176,000 comes from the city's sale of property in Lower Price Hill to Tri-State Wholesale.  Another $227,000 will come from the Community and Economic Development Department.

This Eviction Prevention Fund will allow the city to retain a qualified social service agency to provide eviction relief services for vulnerable populations in Cincinnati, he said.

Landsman said the program could have a profound impact on families in crisis.

"Not only does a one-time receipt of eviction relief services reduce the likelihood of being evicted, but it also increases long-term housing stability," he said. "Staying in homes can help with school performance and poverty relief, which helps children. If children are able to stay in their homes they will have much better outcomes, impacting Cincinnati's future workforce and saving dollars long-term."

Early in the project, Johns-Wolfe wanted to understand the history of housing inequity in Cincinnati. She met with Jeniece Jones from the nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal, Inc., and John Schrider and Steve Sharpe from the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio. Johns-Wolfe says she immediately could tell how passionate each was about the situation.

“I left our meeting energized and ready to tackle the first of those projects — how eviction contributes to housing instability in Hamilton County,” Johns-Wolfe said.

In 2017, Johns-Wolfe decided her Urban Society course would be the perfect opportunity to conduct classroom-partnered research through the Cincinnati Project, a coalition sponsored by UC  that is designed to expand knowledge of the social dynamics of urban places through research projects.

Johns-Wolfe said she learned about neighborhood inequality not only through lectures, library research and classroom discussions but also by conducting her own research in the community.

“The beauty of sociology is that it teaches you how to ask questions about society and also gives you the tools to answer them,” she said.

Johns-Wolfe recruited help from several students. First-year chemistry major Carmen Farinacci helped her investigate the outcomes of eviction cases. Other areas of research included finding which landlords had the most eviction cases, how many tenants had a lawyer present during their hearings and which neighborhoods in Hamilton County had the greatest number of eviction cases.

Farinacci recalls how exciting it was to see how passionate everyone became about their research.

“The most exciting part of my research journey with Elaina and everyone else was seeing how committed everyone became into the project, and seeing that the research actually did good rather than it going unnoticed,” she said.

Johns-Wolfe and her team obtained eviction records from Hamilton County filed between 2014 and 2017. She found that both Hamilton County's eviction rate and rate of claims for eviction were significantly higher than the national average.

Hamilton County's eviction rate of 4.04 per 100 cases was nearly double the national average.

The program Johns-Wolfe’s research inspired has only solidified her view on the importance of having a stable home.

“Having a stable and affordable home is incredibly important to our well-being as individuals and communities,” Johns-Wolfe said. “The impact of eviction is felt far beyond the day residents are removed from their home. They take heavy tolls on families and on communities.”

Nick DiNardo, managing attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, said the funding will help renters who face a temporary shortfall in paying rent. But it also will help tenants pay for legal representation in their eviction cases.

“If it’s about nonpayment of rent, that’s one issue. But usually cases are more complicated,” DiNardo said. “If a tenant doesn’t have an attorney, their chances of success are not very high.”

Evictions often have long-term consequences. DiNardo said landlords are less likely to rent to tenants with recorded eviction claims. And a shortage of affordable housing in Hamilton County exacerbates the situation, he said.

“It’s a major issue. It can affect employment and create poverty,” DiNardo said. “When people are evicted, they can lose their belongings.”

DiNardo said the study by Johns-Wolfe was helpful in framing the issue.

“It was a very good study. It helped us get the eviction crisis in the public eye,” DiNardo said.

Featured image at top: UC student Elaina Johns-Wolfe stands in front of Cincinnati City Hall. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II/UC Creative Services