A new University of Chicago study reveals a stark connection between housing instability and gun violence in neighborhoods with concentrated poverty. Researchers found that each 1% increase in a census tract’s eviction rate corresponds to 2.66 additional shootings, highlighting how housing policy directly affects community safety.
The research shows evictions devastate what scientists call “collective efficacy”—the shared belief among neighbors in their ability to work together for common goals. This social cohesion can protect disadvantaged communities from violence despite economic hardships. “Evictions really break up communities, both for the people who are forced to move and for people who are losing their neighbors,” said Thomas Statchen, the study’s lead author.
The racial dimension is particularly troubling. Black women face disproportionate eviction filings, and the study notes that between 2007 and 2016, more than 3.6 million Americans annually were forcibly removed from their homes. Those evicted experience increased financial hardship, stress, and depression.
Senior author Elizabeth Tung emphasized that while poverty remains the root cause, resilient neighborhood bonds can prevent violence. “It’s by force of nature that some communities are able to form such strong, resilient bonds to withstand structural disadvantages and economic challenges like eviction that lead to firearm violence,” she said.
The researchers argue that unlike large-scale poverty, evictions are policy-driven and therefore addressable through rent caps and improved public housing, making housing stability a critical intervention point for reducing gun violence in minority communities.
See: “New study highlights link between eviction rates and gun violence” (January 7, 2026)
