Each year, nearly three million children in the United States face the threat of eviction, a crisis that unfolds in courtrooms and homes across the country. While children are often unnamed in court filings and historically overlooked when it comes to eviction data, families with children are disproportionately at risk: while the eviction filing for families with children was 10.4 percent, the rate for families without children was less than half that (5.0 percent). The disparity is even more pronounced for Black children under four: of all children aged 0 to 4 living in renting households, 5.7 percent were evicted each year, compared to 12.4 percent of Black children in the same age group.
As housing costs continue to rise nationwide, families with young children face mounting financial burdens, limited housing options and frequent discrimination from landlords (PDF).
For households with children, eviction is more than a housing issue. It impacts a child’s development, health and emotional well-being. Research in Social Science & Medicine shows that eviction during early childhood interferes with critical developmental windows, leading to poorer cognitive skills and delays in school readiness. Likewise, the American Academy of Pediatrics reports that eviction among families with children under age four is linked to increased hospitalizations, developmental risks and behavioral challenges. Parental stress (PDF) caused by housing insecurity often compounds other hardships, such as food insecurity and gaps in health coverage, further impacting a child’s well-being.
The Roles of Cities in Preventing Eviction
Cities have a critical role to play in preventing eviction and promoting housing stability. Local governments are uniquely positioned to enact policies, coordinate services and invest in supports that keep families stably housed and protect the developmental potential of their youngest residents.
Promising Local Strategies
Eviction Moratoriums During the School Year
Seattle has implemented a school-year eviction moratorium, which prohibits evictions of households with school-aged children during the academic year. This policy helps prevent disruptive moves that interfere with education and child development. Cities adopting similar measures can reduce mid-year school changes, chronic absenteeism and the emotional stress of displacement. This approach recognizes housing stability as essential to educational continuity and well-being.
Sealing Eviction Records
Some cities, such as Washington, D.C., have taken steps to seal, mask or expunge eviction records, reducing the risk that families are denied future housing or pushed toward substandard or predatory rentals. In many jurisdictions, even resolved or dismissed filings can follow families for years (PDF), making it harder to secure safe housing. City policies can establish timelines for sealing records, such as immediate expungement if a case is dismissed, sealing after compliance with court agreements, or automatic sealing after a set period with no further filings. Cities can also prohibit landlords from requiring disclosure of sealed eviction records. These protections help families recover from temporary crises without long-term damage to their housing prospects.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Expansion
Research has shown that increasing access to the EITC improves housing stability for low-income families, especially mothers with young children. Cities can advocate for state and federal expansions or create local EITC supplements to boost household income. For example, New York City and San Francisco provide additional EITC benefits to support working families. These financial supports can help families stay current on rent, avoid eviction and invest in stable housing environments that support child development.
Cities have the tools to intervene early and protect their youngest residents from the consequences of housing instability. By investing in policies that promote stability, local leaders can help ensure every child has the foundation of a safe and secure home, one that supports healthy development, learning and long-term opportunity.
Relevant NLC Resources
- Local Eviction Prevention Policy and Program Tool: This interactive dashboard tracks eviction prevention policies and programs from more than 400 cities. Users can filter by geography, city size and intervention stage to identify local strategies such as eviction record sealing, rental assistance and legal aid.
- Eviction Prevention: A Guide for Local Government: This step-by-step publication helps cities map their eviction landscape, build data infrastructure and design coordinated prevention strategies tailored to community needs.
- Emergency Rental Assistance Toolkit: A practical guide for building or refining equitable emergency rental assistance programs. Includes worksheets and planning tools for city leaders and program administrators.
- Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Opportunity Map: An interactive tool that highlights changes in Earned Income Tax Credit participation and benefits across U.S. ZIP codes. It helps local leaders identify areas where families may be missing out on critical financial support.
About the Author
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- Lara Burt
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Local Eviction Prevention Policy and Program Tool
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