Evictions are a growing public health crisis across the Midwest

The trouble for Rolland Carroll started last fall. That’s when the 61-year-old said his apartment complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, informed him that his federal housing aid for his one-bedroom apartment had been reduced months ago. He owed more than $2,000 in back rent. “I was in shock,” Carroll said. “Like, how the heck could I owe this amount of money without you guys saying something months ago?” Carroll doesn’t own a car and works odd jobs through a local temp agency. He struggled to pay the back rent and come up with $339 for his portion of the monthly rent. “November and December – there had been hardly any work at all. So I was in a real bind,” he said. A few days after Christmas, his apartment complex filed to evict him. Carroll said he was worried because local shelters were full and he has many chronic health issues that cost money. “I'm diabetic. I have arthritis. I have asthma. I’m just a total mess,” he said. With the help of nonprofit Iowa Legal Aid, Carroll successfully got the case dismissed at his hearing in mid-January because his apartment failed to give him sufficient notice. Now, he said he’s still struggling to pay rent and his apartment continues to send him notices threatening to file another eviction. It’s taking a toll on his health. “I've been so darn stressed out,” Carroll said. “My mental health is really poor at the moment.” Eviction as a health issue With the end of pandemic-era housing support like eviction moratoriums and federal rental assistance, many Midwesterners face housing insecurity. Eviction filings in Iowa have been increasing for the past decade. After a short dip in 2020 and 2021, they hit a record high of more than 18,000 in 2022, according to Iowa Legal Aid data. The eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended in mid-2021. And Iowa – like most states – ended its federally-funded emergency rent and utility program last year. “Rent makes up a huge portion of the household expenses,” said Nick Graetz, a postdoct