State Eviction Moratoria and Foster Care Entries

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Policy
• Child Welfare

Background:

• Foster care entry is linked to adverse child outcomes and high public costs.
• Housing instability is prevalent among families involved with child welfare services.
• Eviction moratoria during COVID-19 may have offered housing stability to at-risk families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if state eviction moratoria are associated with changes in foster care entries.
• To investigate the impact of population-level housing policies on child welfare system involvement.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study analyzed biweekly county data from January 2019 to August 2021 across 16 states and Washington, DC.
• Counties were classified as 'always-treated' (continuous moratoria) or 'never-treated' (no statewide moratorium).
• Difference-in-differences models compared foster care entries before and after mid-March 2020.

Main Results:

• Eviction moratoria were associated with a 31% reduction in entries due to inadequate housing and a 23% reduction due to caregiver inability to cope.
• A 20% reduction in entries for physical abuse was also observed.
• Expanded analysis confirmed significant reductions for inadequate housing and caregiver inability to cope.

Conclusions:

• State eviction moratoria were linked to decreased foster care entries for inadequate housing, caregiver inability to cope, and physical abuse.
• Housing stabilization policies may reduce foster care entries via direct housing and indirect stress-reduction mechanisms.
• Findings highlight the potential of housing policies as a preventative measure in child welfare.