Kickoff: Bay Area Eviction & Legal Services Study

Protecting vulnerable tenants is one of the three core goals of the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA). Evictions and the effects of evictions are known to have negative health and wellness outcomes and are a key driver of homelessness. However, it is difficult to obtain and understand data about evictions in the Bay Area – the scale of evictions, the causes, the availability of services and the impacts on households who experience them. 

BAHFA is funding a regional study to better understand evictions in the Bay Area, and in 2023 contracted with a research team led by Centro Legal de la Raza, the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, and Alex Werth to conduct the project.

BAHFA staff and members of the research team introduced the Bay Area Eviction and Legal Services Study at a Jan. 23, 2024 webinar (watch the video recording or view the presentation slides). Nearly 100 tenant organizers, leaders, attorneys, advocates and local government staff who are involved in eviction prevention were in attendance.

Research for the study is now underway, and findings are expected in 2025. The study’s results  will be tailored to be understandable by the Bay Area public as well as local city and county staff members, tenant and legal service providers, and other professionals who can implement the findings through changes to policies and programs. 

The webinar covered the project’s background, goals and the scope of the research, and attendees were invited to get more involved as the research kicks off in earnest. The study will investigate themes such as:

• How many evictions have occurred in each county over the past 10 years?
• How have tenant protection policies and programs, some of which were implemented for a short period of time during the COVID-19 pandemic, affected evictions and tenant outcomes?
• What is the availability of tenant legal services, and how does the presence of legal services affect tenant outcomes?
• Which neighborhoods and communities are most affected by evictions?
• Are undocumented individuals more affected by harassment or informal evictions?

Multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources will be included to paint a comprehensive picture and identify different trends over geography and time. These trends will also be analyzed through a geographic lens that includes where tenant protection programs currently exist.

BAHFA is working to create regional solutions that meet the Bay Area's affordable housing needs through production of new affordable housing; preservation of existing affordable housing; and tenant protections. BAHFA is the first regional housing finance authority in California and works together with MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).

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