New Reports from Evicted in Oregon Project
Full Count of Eviction Cases Filed in Oregon Available for the First Time
Colleen Carroll, Dr. Minji Cho, Dr. Lisa K. Bates, Dr. Alex Farrington, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, Safia Goldsmith, and Jacen Greene.
Residential eviction cases can be filed in two court types in Oregon, circuit courts and justice courts. Up until now, statewide research on evictions has only included filings in circuit courts, because those court records are accessible through a centralized online database run by the judicial department. Eviction cases can be filed in fourteen justice courts in Oregon. Because each justice court maintains their court’s records onsite, these eviction cases have previously been invisible to researchers and policymakers. This study reports the first-ever full accounting of the number of eviction cases filed in Oregon, including cases filed in both court systems.
Targeted, Harassed, and Displaced: The Role of Discrimination in Oregon Evictions
Dr. Alex Farrington, Natalie J. Cholula, and Dr. Lisa K. Bates.
While we know that there are clear racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in eviction filings, there is still much we do not know about discrimination in the eviction process. One concrete way to shed light on this understudied phenomenon is by talking directly with evicted tenants about their experiences as members of Fair Housing-protected identity groups and other marginalized populations. Drawing on focus groups with 101 Oregon tenants who have experienced an eviction since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this report examines the role that discrimination plays in Oregon evictions.The report will be detailed in a
webinar on October 10.
Unjust and Unsafe: The Eviction Experiences of Latine Immigrant and Farmworker Tenants in Oregon
Natalie J. Cholula, Lisa K. Bates, Alex Farrington, Marisa Zapata, Jacen Greene, Azad Amir-Ghassemi, and Colleen Carroll.
The Evicted in Oregon research team conducted focus groups with Latine immigrants and farmworkers in Multnomah, Washington, and Marion Counties to gain insight into their experiences with eviction and understand how they navigated through evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through these discussions, we identified three patterns that are unique to the experiences of Latine immigrants and farmworkers who face eviction: mistreatment by landlords, fear of involvement with the legal system, and navigating unfamiliar procedures that have negative impacts on their health and family. The report will be detailed in a
webinar on October 10.
Fight, Flight, Freeze: How Access to Tenant Support Shapes Tenant Responses to Eviction in Multnomah County
Natalie J. Cholula, Lisa K. Bates, and Alex Farrington. With support from Marisa Zapata, Colleen Carroll, Jacen Greene, and Hadley Bates.
Facing eviction is a traumatic event that forces tenants into a fight, flight or freeze response. Our focus groups with Multnomah County tenants revealed that their responses to eviction are directly shaped by their access to support. Many tenants are unable to access formal support and therefore respond to eviction by freezing up or fleeing their home. Conversely, tenants who can access formal support—including rental assistance or legal assistance—exhibit a fight response, leveraging external support to challenge or avoid their eviction.
