In both rural and urban areas, housing stability is key to thriving family and community life. Throughout Appalachia, housing and land prices are rising in ways that undermine these priorities. In addition, the ability to own and use land has long been threatened by problems with title and ownership issues.

Knoxville has been one of the hardest-hit cities in the nation by the sharp rise in housing prices since the start of the COVID pandemic. As evictions have become more widespread and disparities in legal representation in eviction court have gained attention, community advocates like Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) and UT faculty have worked together, with extensive support from the University’s Community University Research Collaboration Initiative, to press local governments to expand support for tenants facing eviction. In October 2023, Knox County announced a partnership with Legal Aid of East Tennessee (LAET) to expand access to legal counsel for tenants facing eviction. Through the AJRC, an interdisciplinary research team – Dr. Stephanie Casey Pierce (Political Science), Dr. Solange Muñoz (Geography & Sustainability), and Professor Wendy A. Bach (Law) – are designing and implementing an evaluation of that project. This project will likely form the basis for future, mixed methods, interdisciplinary AJRC projects in the area of housing and community stability.

In addition to working on that project, researchers with the AJRC are working with community organizations in the region to explore other questions foundational to securing housing and community stability.

We ask:

Housing and Community Stability Projects in the Fall 2024 Appalachian Justice Research Lab

Community Partners

Established in 2023, the Knoxville-Knox County Office of Housing Stability (OHS) leads efforts to prevent and respond to housing instability and homelessness. The joint office collaborates with the Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition, housing agencies, homelessness service providers, and people with lived experience of homelessness to set a common vision with shared goals informed by a systems-level, evidence-based approach that is data-driven to keep families in their homes and connect people to housing opportunities and services.

Across 26 counties from Chattanooga to the Tri-Cities, Legal Aid of East Tennessee provides civil legal representation free of charge for those who need it most – for the elderly, for families, and for victims of domestic violence – and work closely with clients to help navigate legal challenges and seek out justice.

Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM) is a 50-year-old, member-driven organization dedicated to empowering Tennesseans in their efforts to have a greater voice in determining their own future. SOCM accomplishes this by training local leaders and by developing and sustaining long-term, democratically run, and locally rooted membership organizations in communities throughout Tennessee. Together, SOCM members work towards a Tennessee where all people are treated with dignity, where the environment is preserved and protected, and where corporations and public officials are held accountable to the needs of the people.

Affiliated Faculty