Republish This Story. Support trusted journalism in Connecticut. To yank out a garbage bag full of clothes is to nearly send his old Hot Wheels rolling.
But his memories of homelessness when he was younger are scant. The landlord stated in filings that the lease had expired. Tanya says she and the landlord were in conflict for months ahead of the filing. He sees his mom at the shelter on weekends. They are far from the only Connecticut family struggling with the loss of their home. Since early pandemic-era protections against eviction expired, the number of filings has spiked as rents rise, inflation impacts budgets and families continue to struggle to recover financially from the pandemic.
With about a month left to go in the year, the number of filings in had reached 20,, surpassing the total number of filings in by nearly 1, Each of these filings can affect multiple people, depending on how many are in the household. The rise in evictions has had an outsized impact on children, particularly on their health, education and mental health. Women and people of color, particularly women of color, are more likely to be evicted. Families with children are also at higher risk of eviction, studies show , although the number of children who face eviction are more difficult to track.
It's the hub of kids' lives. During the months between when her case was filed in December and the August eviction, Tanya looked for a new place to live. She typically has a small but steady income from social security and the occasional home health care job.
But with the eviction on her record, it proved difficult to find somewhere new. One shelter offered to let them stay at night, but they had to find somewhere else to be during the day. For a couple of weeks, Tanya paid for a hotel. She called the Department of Children and Families twice to report the situation in the hopes more government involvement would get them to housing more quickly.
