News & Record: Greensboro among top cities in the nation for evictions

Posted on May 06, 2018

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On May 4, 2018, Richard M. Barron of the News and Record covered a new survey by Princeton University’s Eviction Lab that ranks Greensboro seventh in the nation:

“That Greensboro landed in the top 10 is probably a surprise to many.

“According to data from The Center for Housing and Community Studies at UNC-Greensboro, the reasons are varied.

“• Affordable housing here is in short supply. Developers are more likely to build upscale apartments because rent from those properties can draw a bigger profit margin.

“• More than half the renters in Greensboro are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing, falling into a category the UNCG center calls “cost burdened.” That designation is thought to apply to about 20,000 renters.

“• Many landlords don’t keep low-cost housing well maintained. For renters, that means spending more money on utilities just to heat and cool badly insulated apartments or homes, siphoning away money that could go toward rent.

“• Rents are rising. A new survey by Yardi Matrix, a real estate research firm, shows that rents in Greensboro are up by 3.8 percent in April compared to this time last year — an average of $848 a month. Wages, by comparison, have stagnated.

“Stephen Sills, director of the UNCG center and an associate professor of sociology, is starting an eviction “diversion” program that he hopes will chip away at the problem.

“‘We really just need more creative solutions to providing housing to all segments of the market,’ he said.”

Read the full story here.

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