Heath Outcomes Post-Eviction Moratoria (HOPE-M)

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Experiencing the threat of eviction is associated with mental distress, and Black, Hispanic, and female renters are most affected by evictions. Eviction moratoria were short-term housing interventions designed to limit the spread of COVID-19 and maintain housing stability. Travis County (Austin, TX) residents experienced a strong local moratorium (i.e. blocked all stages of eviction process) through December 2021. In contrast, Harris County (Houston, TX) residents never experienced a local moratorium, and were dependent on the state moratorium, which ended in May 2020. Since moratoria have ended, evictions and the cost of basic needs have dramatically increased. In a post-moratoria period, the question remains whether prior exposure to a strong local moratorium policy reduces post-moratorium mental distress in the presence of ongoing economic disruptions. The Heath Outcomes Post-Eviction Moratoria (HOPE-M) Study, proposes to use a mixed methods sequential explanatory design to examine how prior exposure to a strong local moratorium influences the direct and indirect paths linking the threat of eviction with post-moratorium mental health over time. To create the sample 2 sources of data will be used. The first source of data will be used to identify individuals who had eviction filing post state/local moratorium (Harris: June 2020–December 2023; Travis: January 2022–December 2023). This data was collected through the Eviction Tracking System. The second source of data will facilitate identification of individuals at risk for eviction but not filed using data generated by Dr. Thomas' (co-I) Housing Precarity Risk Model (HPRM). Renters living in neighborhoods with high eviction risk after the state/local moratorium ended will be selected on matching criteria based on respondent's household characteristics that align with the top predictive variables in the HPRM (e.g., race) as well as dominate characteristics found in prior eviction research (e.g., sex). Participants [Harris County (n= 1,000) Travis County (n=1,000)] will be surveyed at baseline, 6 months, 12 months. Analyses will include longitudinal mixed effect models and focus groups and photo elicitation interviews will be used to triangulate the findings. Aim 1. Assess the moderating impact of prior local eviction policy exposure on the link between experiencing the threat of eviction and post-moratorium mental health over time and how this varies by race/ethnicity and sex. Aim 2. Examine the mental health disparities in aim 1 as a function of the mediating effects of economic hardship and psychosocial stressors. Aim 3. Explore the decision- making processes and self-assessment associated with making economic decisions to avoid eviction and how this contributes to psychosocial distress. With every state having shortage of affordable and available rental homes, this study is significant to policymakers and legal aid organizations who have the ability to inform housing policies. The use of ETS's court-ordered eviction records (over self-reports) and the use of the HPRM to include adults with similar characteristics and at-risk for eviction is an innovative approach to improving sample selection. This approach complements NIMH's Strategic Plan, Goals 2 and 3 and is supported by numerous stakeholders.