The 32-year-old is among the growing number of tenants facing eviction, caught between high inflation, rising rents and the end of support put in place during the pandemic.

Every year, 3.6 million expulsions are carried out in the United States, estimates Peter Hepburn, associate director of the dedicated laboratory at Princeton University.

In practice, the causes are multiple: in a Virginia court, AFP was able to meet tenants, living from day to day, facing an unexpected incident or a medical bill, who find themselves before the judge in an eviction procedure.

This is particularly the case of Ms. Carolyn, who owes more than $ 10,000 in rent. But, suffering from Graves' disease, an autoimmune thyroid disease, she has been hospitalized since November and unable to return to work.

"I was starting to see cloudiness, it was becoming dangerous for driving," she explains, "it's like a permanent fog in my brain and it literally prevents me from thinking."

She initially tried to find a solution with her owner but the deterioration of her health complicated things: "I was no longer earning enough".

"I was able to earn another $800 before I stopped working. And I had to choose between paying my rent or my food and my medication. I am angry, frustrated, I feel guilty and even ashamed... But I'm really sick and I have to accept it," she said.

The number of eviction procedures has been "steadily rising" since the beginning of 2022, in a country where 30% of residents are tenants, and is now approaching pre-pandemic levels, says Hepburn © Stefani Reynolds / AFP

'Steady rise'

The number of eviction procedures has been "steadily rising" since early 2022, in a country where 30% of residents are renters, and is now approaching pre-pandemic levels, Hepburn said.

In the 10 states and 34 cities where his laboratory is studying the situation, they have increased from 6,600 in April 2020, in the midst of the first wave of Covid-19, to more than 96,800 last January.

During the pandemic, the legal protections put in place had greatly reduced the risk of eviction, but they were only temporary.

Since then, the rise has been steady and "we haven't plateaued yet," said Mary Horner, an attorney for the Northern Virginia Legal Services.

Some households have received rent assistance that never materialized due to lack of resources, resulting in arrears of more than $10,000, but many others "have to do significantly less but just can't keep up with their rent increase," Horner said.

"Rents have risen a lot, inflation is raising food prices, family incomes are increasingly under pressure," she added.

In Richmond, the situation is reinforced by a particularly low rate of empty homes, while the city was the second in number of evictions nationally in 2016.

"It's the perfect situation to see tenants even more stuck than they were before the pandemic," according to Martin Wegbreit, general counsel at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

Unevenly distributed risk

Rent growth has slowed but still accounts for more than 70% of inflation in February. And for those concerned, an eviction is traumatic insists Mary Horner.

Laine Carolyn, 32, threatened with eviction, in her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 15, 2023 © Stefani Reynolds / AFP

"Almost all tenants are not represented in hearings, they do not necessarily know their rights," she said.

In order to attend the hearing, many have to take time off and often bring their children due to a lack of childcare, such as Diamond, a 25-year-old woman, who returned to work just after giving birth in the hope of avoiding deportation.

"It's stressful because I have a baby, nobody wants to be homeless," she told AFP.

The Biden administration has announced measures to rebalance the rental market, including limiting rent increases, but the effects will not be visible for some time.

And the risk of deportation is unevenly distributed: it more often affects African-Americans as well as women with children, notes Peter Hepburn.

"Economic causes largely explain the cause, but we cannot eliminate the fact that discrimination can also play a role," he said.

Especially since the trace remains, adds Mr. Hepburn: "If you find yourself in a deportation procedure, the file will follow you."

© 2023 AFP