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. Researchers with the AJRC are working with community organizations in the region to explore other questions foundational to securing housing and community stability.
Housing and Community Stability Projects
Legal Representation in Eviction Court: The Effects of Legal Access on Tenant Outcomes & Experiences
Receiving an award from the prestigious Russell Sage Foundation, a transdisciplinary team of researchers and students are analyzing data from Knox County courts and Legal Aid of East Tennessee to determine whether expanded access to legal services improves tenant outcomes across multiple measures, from displacement to monetary judgments. In partnership with Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment (SOCM), the team will conduct in-court observations and interview tenants, judges, and lawyers to further study the program and its implementation. Few studies have investigated the implementation or impact of such policies on tenant outcomes, and this is the first to focus on a mid-sized, urban county in the South. Read more about this project
Affiliated Faculty
Janine Al-Aseer
Director of University-Assisted Community Schools and Clinical Assistant Professor
College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences; Theory & Practice in Teacher Education
Stephanie Casey Pierce
Assistant Professor, Public Policy & Administration
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
Solange Muñoz
Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies
College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Geography & Sustainability