Andréa Wilson

I thought I knew a lot about displacement, housing insecurity and homelessness. Then I experienced it for real. 

I grew up with a roof over my head and earned a Ph.D., writing a dissertation about families displaced from their homes. But instead of the American dream, I found a rude awakening. 

Jobs in my field are scarce, and I was told I was overqualified for the jobs I could find. Always a fighter, I started my own consulting company helping nonprofits develop strategies that drive lasting change in families’ lives. 

Even so, startups are hard to finance and grow. I struggled, but I was getting by — until I was evicted. 

I had been renting a town home from a private landlord for more than six years when I received an email stating I had 30 days to vacate. The landlord had raised my rent and promised a new lease agreement, but never produced one — and then evicted me because I didn’t have a lease. 

Through my work, I had been steeped in stories of family displacement. But it felt different to experience it firsthand — with no recourse and no way to hold my landlord accountable. Tenants can theoretically take landlords to court, but that takes money I didn’t have. 

Stories like mine are all too common in the midst of our country’s ongoing housing crisis. 

There simply isn’t enough affordable housing to meet the immense need. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the median price for a single-family house reached a record high of more than $412,000 last year. The National Low Income Housing Coalition calculates there’s a national shortage of 7 million affordable rental units. 

Wages aren’t keeping up with housing costs. There’s currently no city in the country where you can afford a market-rate two-bedroom rental on the minimum wage. And a record 75% of renters are severely cost burdened, meaning over half their income goes to housing. 

Living unhoused is nonstop stress. I had to move from hotel to hotel, chasing Priceline deals and spiking my stress levels. Unsurprisingly, there are many adverse health outcomes associated with housing insecurity, including delayed access to health care, worsening health outcomes and erosion of communities. 

I managed to get a remote contract job, but I lost it when I couldn’t begin the same month I was evicted. Thankfully, a sorority sister eventually offered me a room in her home. 

Currently, I’m OK. I have housing, Medicaid and a client, too — for now. But I’m more acutely aware than ever that we need more tenant rights and landlord accountability. And I still need to pay renters insurance, car insurance, business fees and storage fees and jump through increasing red tape to keep my benefits. 

Homelessness and housing instability are expensive — for individuals and for governments. And the problem could get worse. President Trump has called for cuts to public housing programs, including nearly $30 billion in federal rental aid and Section 8 housing vouchers. 

What should we do instead? 

A proposed federal law would offer funding for legal counsel for low-income renters facing eviction. Many states now have laws that prohibit evictions without just cause, prohibit excessive rent increases, prevent landlords from discriminating against renters with Section 8 vouchers and fund rental assistance. 

Research shows that policies like these significantly increase housing stability. 

I grew up in an income-stable home, earned a Ph.D. and own a small business. If someone like me can get trapped in the cycle of housing instability, anyone can. But the solutions are out there — we just need lawmakers to hear us. 

The writer is the founder and principal consultant at Integrity Consultancy Group in Northern Virginia. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org