Over 1 In 10 Milwaukee Renters Face Involuntary Moves Every 2 Years, Says Author

The author of a new book on housing evictions says about 12 percent of Milwaukee renters face involuntary moves every two years.

Harvard University urban sociologist Matthew Desmond spent time living in a Milwaukee trailer park and rooming house to compile data and conduct interviews for his book “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.”

Desmond told a forum at Marquette University that there are about 16,000 court-ordered evictions in Milwaukee every year affecting about 40 people a day. He said some landlords avoid courtroom time by pressuring or even paying tenants to leave.

Desmond also said if the U.S. would help provide more housing assistance, more low-income parents could focus on their jobs or on feeding their children.