In a recent article in the Detroit Free Press, a five-year study by Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, Associate Professor of social epidemiology at the Ohio State University College of Public Health, indicates a connection between evictions and health outcomes.
Sealy-Jefferson surveyed 1,428 Black women from three counties. Some of her findings include:

• More than half of the participants said they had been evicted; of those, nearly half were reported to be illegal evictions, that is they happened outside the legal court process.
• A quarter of the participants said they had been evicted during childhood.
• A higher risk of poor self-rated heath among participants was associated with 12%-17% of those experiencing childhood, court ordered or illegal eviction.
• For those experiencing childhood eviction and illegal eviction, there was a 34%-37% higher risk of worse relative self-rated health.

In an interview for the article, Sealy-Jefferson concluded: “Without the human right to stable, safe and affordable housing, it really jeopardizes your ability to do all… you need to do in order to have a good life; a good healthy life and a productive life.”

Read the entire story here: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/05/22/black-
women-survey-sheds-light-on-evictions/83744604007/