More than 40 percent of Alabama renters fear eviction by year’s end, study finds

Signs announce a court-ordered eviction in January 2010 posted by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department. (The Birmingham News/ Michelle Williams)
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As a federal eviction moratorium ends this week, more renters are worried about being evicted in Alabama than in any other state, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data.

In Alabama, 42 percent of renters say they fear being evicted by the end of the year, the highest percentage reported nationwide, according to an analysis by the financial services group LendingTree.

“I think that (the study) shows that not only are people in a dire financial situation, but they don’t really feel that there is a way out right now,” said Nick VinZant, a senior research analyst at LendingTree.

A federal eviction moratorium that protected renters facing pandemic-related financial hardships ended in August, and courts in Alabama are placing eviction cases back on dockets.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s federally funded rental assistance programs meant to prevent evictions are significantly delayed in distributing funds to applicants.

Of the 19 percent of Alabama renters who reported being behind on rent to the Census Bureau, 70 percent said they expect to be evicted within the next two months, according to VinZant.

According to the study, Black and Latino Americans are at the greatest risk of eviction, while white communities have seen the risk of eviction decline over the course of the pandemic.

According to the study, 35 percent of Blacks nationwide are at risk of eviction or foreclosure compared to 19 percent of whites.

Women are at greater risk of eviction, at 27 percent, compared to 22 percent of men nationwide.

Vinzant said a lack of affordable housing is contributing to Alabamians fears of eviction. Home prices have risen 130 percent since 2012 whereas wages have risen just 33 percent. Rents in Alabama have risen 5.2 percent in the last two years alone, he said.

“We need to get really at the heart of the problem, and the only way to really address that is to have more affordable housing, and that needs to be, not only a county, but a state and nationwide priority.”

Update: This story was updated to clarify the eviction moratorium ended in late August

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