June 22, 2023

As home prices surge and pandemic-era renter protections expire, landlord eviction filings are more than 50 percent higher than prepandemic levels in some cities. “Across the country, low-income renters are in an even worse situation than before the pandemic because of things like massive increases in rent during the pandemic, inflation and other pandemic-era related financial difficulties,” said Daniel Grubbs-Donovan, a research specialist at Princeton University’s Eviction Lab.

New research finds most people who relocate because of climate-related events like floods and hurricanes tend to move short distances and settle into homes less threatened by the effects of global warming. “You can help your constituents reduce their future flood risk without necessarily losing their tax dollars,” said author James Elliott, a sociologist at Rice University.

A new study by the University of California, San Francisco, reveals that people experiencing homelessness in California are often already struggling with poor health and deep poverty before becoming homeless. “People are homeless because their rent is too high. And their options are too few. And they have no cushion,” said Margot Kushel, initiative director and lead investigator. “And it really makes you wonder how different things would look if we could solve that underlying problem.”

Despite the Federal Reserve’s pause in interest rate hikes, homebuyers may not see significant relief in mortgage rates anytime soon. Mortgage rates are expected to fluctuate between 6 and 7 percent in 2023 if inflation remains high, though rental prices may moderate in the next six months and provide some relief for renters.