DAYTON, Ohio – As rental assistance dries up and eviction rates across the country are returning to pre-pandemic levels, a national exhibit exploring the issue is making its final tour stop at the Dayton Metro Library.
A partnership between Sinclair College and the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, the exhibit aims to raise awareness of the issue in Dayton, which even before the pandemic had one of the highest eviction rates in Ohio and was ranked 26 in the country, and to offer potential solutions to prevent its cost to impacted families, landlords and the community at large.
Kathy Rowell, a sociology professor at Sinclair Community College, had spent decades exploring housing issues even before the city appointed her to Dayton’s Eviction Task Force.
Her research and countless interviews with those who have lost their housing or work directly with those facing eviction have helped her put a face to the issue, impacting six of every 100 renter households in Dayton, according to the Princeton Eviction Lab.
“I just think people aren’t aware,” she said. “This is a very painful story for kids and for adults.”
Rowell examines Dayton eviction data. (Spectrum News 1/Michelle Alfini)
By bringing the National Building Association’s EVICTED exhibit to Dayton, Rowell hoped to bring that issue to the forefront of the city’s mind, while exploring different facets of eviction at the local and national level.
The exhibit consists of a series of makeshift houses each exploring a different aspect of eviction including demographics and risk factors, how the issue is adjudicated in court, and the impact on families and the things they leave behind.
“It’s costly to landlords, it’s costly to communities, it’s costly to courts and it’s really costly to families,” Rowell said. “Often kids’ toys and little kids’ things get left behind.”
Rowell also included a wall dedicated to exploring the issue in Dayton and how the past few years’ eviction trends correlate with historic data surrounding redlining.
“We saw that African American families and Latino families saw higher rates of eviction during the pandemic compared to other people,” she said.
Zimmerman advocates for Dayton to adopt a “right to counsel” ordinance. (Spectrum News 1/Michelle Alfini)
John Zimmerman with the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, who also helped set up the exhibit in Dayton, hopes visitors also learn more about the ways the city of Dayton can help prevent evictions, when possible.
Specifically, he advocates for a “right to counsel” ordinance that would allow tenants headed to eviction court the right to an attorney to help them plead their cases. Versions of such ordinances are in place in Toledo and Cleveland.
“In criminal court, we have the right to counsel, but we don’t in civil court,” he said. “It’s all about leveling the playing field.”
According to the ACLU, 90% of landlords have representation in court, while fewer than 10% of tenants have representation.
The eviction task force is considering the costs of a right to counsel ordinance and plans to present a version to the city of Dayton.
“Other cities are doing it,” Rowell said. “I think Dayton needs to follow suit.”
EVICTED will be at the Dayton Metro Library until April 23, offering guided tours on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On the final day of the exhibition, the Facing Project will present a theatrical performance about eviction and housing insecurity from those in the Dayton community who have experienced it.
