Interventions to prevent tenant evictions: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Public Policy
• Housing Studies

Background:

• Tenant evictions are a major contributor to homelessness.
• Evictions cause trauma and incur significant costs, necessitating preventive strategies.
• Understanding effective eviction prevention interventions is vital for policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on interventions aimed at preventing tenant evictions.
• To assess the (cost-)effectiveness of identified eviction prevention strategies.
• To identify gaps in research regarding eviction prevention.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across nine electronic databases and Google Scholar.
• Inclusion of peer-reviewed and non-reviewed publications from January 1985 to May 2012.
• Analysis of seven publications describing eight distinct eviction prevention interventions.

Main Results:

• Only three studies reported on the effectiveness of eviction prevention interventions.
• Legal assistance and debt advice interventions appear promising in reducing eviction risk.
• The effectiveness of five other interventions could not be determined due to limited data or study quality.

Conclusions:

• Effective eviction prevention strategies are not well-established in the current literature.
• Methodologically sound research is required to determine which interventions work, for whom, and in what context.
• Further investigation into the cost-effectiveness of eviction prevention is warranted.