The social cost of housing instability is enormous. It affects the physical health, mental well-being, employment, and educational attainment of individuals and families, with people of color being disproportionate affected.
Who is Filing Evictions in Virginia?
Housing instability threatens the security of entire communities and burdens already limited social safety nets. Yet research shows that housing instability is rooted not in individual or community failures, but in policies of exclusion, displacement, disinvestment, and discrimination. This is illustrated clearly in Virginia, where lax tenant protections paired with high rates of unjust evictions make the state home to 5 of the top 10 cities with the highest rates of eviction nationwide.
By calculating the causes and consequences of housing instability in innovative ways, data science has the potential to shift power dynamics, narratives, and outcomes—yet without the insights and experiences of community members, the data may reinforce inequality and uphold unjust power structures. The Housing Justice Atlas is driven by the vision, knowledge, and partnerships of communities facing housing crises
The Virginia Evictors Catalog is a tool that empowers tenants to stay informed about eviction patterns in their region. Use this searchable catalog to identify property owners, or their representatives, who have filed tenant evictions across the Commonwealth, as well as explore the data through data visualizations.
The catalog functions as an aid to organizers, policy makers, policy advocates, and service providers by providing insight into who is responsible for the highest number of court-based evictions and eviction filings, and where they are happening. The Virginia Evictors Catalog is updated quarterly with data from Virginia's General District Courts.
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