Young adult homelessness is an underreported, crisis-level issue impacting one out of every ten individuals between the ages of 18 and 25, according to the most recent data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. This figure amounts to approximately 3.5 million Americans in that age group, reflecting a record high.
Much of young adult homelessness is hidden, making it difficult to quantify or even recognize. For this reason, it should be assumed that the precise number of unhoused young people is higher than the figure listed above.
Like all homelessness in the United States, the leading cause of young adult homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. We know that other issues, such as stagnant wages, student loan debt, hyperinflation, and record-setting rates of eviction, which are now 50% higher than they were in pre-pandemic America, also play a significant role in the predicament.
For many of our young people, spirits are low or broken. They are shelling out small fortunes to pay for higher education, and the overwhelming majority are not obtaining jobs in their fields of study. They struggle through exhaustion and poverty, pushing their prestigious degrees aside to serve the public skinny lattes – a double shot of truth inside the tip jar.
For most of these college graduates, the financial future that awaits them is not enough. Many of them, despite their hard work and aspirations, are teetering dangerously on the edge of homelessness in those few years after graduation, particularly if they lack familial support. This stark reality should stir a sense of empathy and urgency in all of us.
But until now, they didn’t have to worry about being suddenly made homeless while they were enrolled in these expensive universities. The college campus seemed like a safe bet with its cozy dorm rooms. Yet, as tension between universities and students rises all across the country, something unforeseen is taking place – illegal campus evictions, which elevate the risk of homelessness once more.
Pro-Palestinian Protestors Are Being Illegally Evicted from College Dorms at Several Universities
According to Gothamist, Columbia University swiftly evicted pro-Palestinian protestors from their dorm rooms, a move legal representatives say is unlawful in the City of New York. In an exclusive discussion with Invisible People, Attorney Christine Clarke of Legal Services NYC, who represents the evicted students, explained the case. She cited instances where some people were given no notice at all, and others were given only 15 minutes notice, with their key card access cut off, effectively locking them out of their own homes.
“In New York City, landlords can’t evict you overnight for no reason,” she said. “So, what happened in this case was that some people were given no notice at all, and some people were given 15 minutes notice. Columbia had cut off their key card access so they couldn’t get into the building where they were living.”
“According to New York City law, that’s an eviction,” she continued. “If you can’t get in and out of your building and you can’t access things like the bathroom and the dining hall and the showers and all the things you need to live, then you have been evicted.”
Punishing Students through Illegal Eviction and Possible Homelessness Sets the Stage for Inequality
As the world turns its attention to the recent protests on college campuses, an unsettling trend has emerged—a trend where dissent equates to immediate and illegal college campus evictions.
Attorney Clarke pointed out that none of her clients faced homelessness as a result of the illegal evictions, but that is mainly because they had familial support.
On a broader scale, there is a lot to be considered. If college dormitories are exempt from carrying out evictions through the city’s legal process, then they become an unstable housing situation for students who don’t have friends or family that they can move in with. This includes:
- Immigrant students whose families are not in the United States
- Students who have aged out of the foster care system
- Students fleeing domestic violence situations and
- Students whose families are enduring or at an increased risk of homelessness due to systemic oppression or insufficient wages, which often includes students of color and students from low-income earning families.
If immediate eviction becomes the college’s punishment for dissent or disagreement, then in the future, we might only hear the disgruntled voices of students who come from privileged backgrounds and can afford to be evicted. This potential for inequality, where historically oppressed individuals are locked out of higher education and important global conversations, should compel us all to take action.
Rendered Homelessness: Illegally Evicted Students Face the Threat of Having No Place to Go
While many people associate homelessness with living unsheltered in spaces unfit for human habitation, that is only one type of homelessness. We must also contend with the prospect of hidden homelessness, which happens when a person or family is forced to move into a crowded space with friends or family unexpectedly. This is often referred to as sofa surfing.
“For the people that we did represent, I can say that they were essentially locked in their rooms,” Christine explained. “If they left their dorm room, they were going to lose access to all of their stuff. And so, they were kind of trapped there. It’s not the same as being forced into hidden homelessness, but it’s similar in the sense that you can’t have a functioning life because you don’t have stable access to your house.”
“It is my understanding that there definitely were people who were not in their room at the time, that their key cards were cut off,” she continued. “As a result, they had to stay with friends or wherever which I unquestionably agree with you is a form of homelessness. They were rendered homeless.”
Are These Campus Evictions a Nationwide Trend or a Short-lived Blunder? Time Will Tell.
At the time of this writing, students have been evicted and forced to move out immediately or in a matter of minutes at several universities, including:
While there is certainly room for concern that illegal evictions on college campuses could become a nationwide trend, Attorney Christine remains hopeful that things will fizzle out.
“I’m hoping that this does not become a nationwide thing,” she said. “I genuinely think that Columbia thought they could do this. They were brought to housing court three times. All those cases were resolved. I’m genuinely hoping this does not become a phenomenon where universities think that they’re allowed to do this.”
Talk to Your Representatives About Preventing Illegal Evictions by Drafting and Upholding Renter Protections
Renter protections are faulty at best and rarely upheld in the courtroom. This creates an imbalanced power dynamic between landlords and renters, infringing on the renter’s rights. Now, we even see it in schools. Talk to your local representatives about strengthening student protections by drafting and upholding laws that prevent illegal evictions.
