The Unseen Consequences of Varese’s Local Evictions
As the government works to monitor and control contagious disease, it’s hard to overlook the broader economic impacts of its policies. For instance, one of the consequences of CDC’s eviction moratorium is that it has made it harder for low-income families to secure housing. Similarly, landlords may be retaliating against tenants who don’t pay their rent or have a bad credit rating by demanding higher security deposits or additional credit checks.
There is a growing body of evidence that a human development approach can address these types of complex challenges and improve the lives of people. This approach focuses on the basic capabilities that people need to lead fulfilling lives: good health, access to education, decent material standards of living and the ability to enjoy freedom from violence, discrimination and societal respect.
It is based on the notion that development can only occur by improving people’s well-being, rather than through increasing a nation’s GDP. This concept was developed by economist Mahbub ul Haq in the 1970s at the World Bank and later as minister of finance in his own country, Pakistan.
The Human Side of Development: The Unseen Consequences of Varese’s Local Evictions
The Human Development Index ranks countries based on measures of well-being, including access to health and education. It was created to replace the commonly used measure of Gross Domestic Product.
While these metrics are valuable, they do not paint a complete picture of human well-being and cannot be relied upon to provide the basis for effective policy solutions.
This means that researchers need to look deeper into the impact of evictions on people’s lives and develop comprehensive policy solutions that can address the root causes of evictions, as well as the disproportionate effects of evictions on vulnerable populations. In order to do this, researchers need reliable and standardized data.
A national eviction database will help researchers better understand trends and disparities in eviction rates across time and space. It will also allow researchers to identify hotspots for evictions and the landlords who are driving them.
Evictions are a crucial public health issue because they violate the rights of individuals, families and communities, and are a significant driver of societal inequity and social conflict. It is therefore essential to track and report evictions to monitor the adequacy of human rights protections.
To tackle the eviction crisis and improve the lives of people, policymakers must develop universal and targeted approaches that strengthen and sustain housing stability. This includes ensuring that all households have the legal right to a fair hearing and a full range of options for resolving problems, such as obtaining counsel, delaying evictions and receiving cash assistance. Creating these options will help ensure that all households have the opportunity to stay in their homes, while addressing the many unintended consequences of evictions.
