--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A single eviction could destabilize…" description: "\"“A single eviction could destabilize multiple city blocks, not only the block from which a family was evicted but also the block to which it begrudging..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/matthew-desmond-1529_family_a-single-eviction-could-destabilize-mult_836126.jpg" --- # A single eviction could destabilize multiple city blocks… ![“A single eviction could destabilize multiple city blocks, not only the block from which a family was evicted but also the block to which it begrudgingly relocated. In this way, displacement contributed directly to what Jacobs called “perpetual slums,” churning environments with high rates of…” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/matthew-desmond-1529_family_a-single-eviction-could-destabilize-mult_836126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/matthew-desmond-1529_family_a-single-eviction-could-destabilize-mult_836126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/236/matthew-desmond-1529_family_a-single-eviction-could-destabilize-mult_836126.jpg) > ““A single eviction could destabilize multiple city blocks, not only the block from which a family was evicted but also the block to which it begrudgingly relocated. In this way, displacement contributed directly to what Jacobs called “perpetual slums,” churning environments with high rates of turnover and even higher rates of resentment and disinvestment. “The key link in a perpetual slum is that too many people move out of it too fast—and in the meantime dream of getting out.”4”” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rapid evictions destabilize neighborhoods, creating perpetual slums where high turnover fuels resentment and disinvestment, while residents dream of escape. **In simple terms:** Fast evictions break communities, leading to ongoing poverty and frustration. Key Takeaway Stabilize housing to prevent community decay. Themes housing community poverty Mood concerned urgent Type policy analytical When to use this quote - city planning - public housing reforms - tenant advocacy - neighborhood revitalization Key Concepts urban sociology economic inequality policy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can policy balance landlord rights with tenant stability? - What community programs can reduce turnover? A Different Perspective Legal constraints often limit rapid housing stabilization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Displacement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/displacement/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) ## Related quotes > [“Two months before the funeral, the real estate website Redfin looked at the statistics and concluded that 83 percent of California's homes, and 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/two-months-before-the-funeral-the-real-estate-website-redfin-looked/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [I met a landlord who will pay you to move at the end of the week and let you use his van. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-met-a-landlord-who-will-pay-you-to-move-at-the-end-of-the-week-and/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Tenants don't have any right to court-appointed attorneys in civil court, so they're either facing their landlord - or his or her attorney -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/tenants-don-t-have-any-right-to-court-appointed-attorneys-in-civil/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Do we believe housing is a right and that affordable housing is part of what it should mean to be an American? I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/do-we-believe-housing-is-a-right-and-that-affordable-housing-is-part/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Families who get evicted tend to live in worse housing than they did before, and they live in neighborhoods with higher poverty rates and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/families-who-get-evicted-tend-to-live-in-worse-housing-than-they-did/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If eviction has these massive consequences that we all pay for, a very smart use of public funds would be to invest in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-eviction-has-these-massive-consequences-that-we-all-pay-for-a-very/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“In the vast majority of cases (83 percent), landlords who received a nuisance citation for domestic violence responded by either evicting the tenants or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/in-the-vast-majority-of-cases-83-percent-landlords-who-received-a/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Evictions used to be rare in this country. They used to draw crowds. There are scenes in literature where you can come upon an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/evictions-used-to-be-rare-in-this-country-they-used-to-draw-crowds/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [It takes a good amount of time and money to establish a home. Eviction can erase all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-takes-a-good-amount-of-time-and-money-to-establish-a-home-eviction/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [The high cost of housing is crushing poor families and sending them to a state of desperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/the-high-cost-of-housing-is-crushing-poor-families-and-sending-them/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Young mothers who apply for housing assistance in our nation's capital literally could be grandmothers by the time their application is reviewed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/young-mothers-who-apply-for-housing-assistance-in-our-nation-s/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [An eviction is an incredibly time consuming and stressful event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/an-eviction-is-an-incredibly-time-consuming-and-stressful-event/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Eviction riots erupted during the Depression, though the number of poor families who faced eviction each year was a fraction of what it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-riots-erupted-during-the-depression-though-the-number-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Displacement quotes > [“What greater sorrow than being forced to leave behind my native earth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/what-greater-sorrow-than-being-forced-to-leave-behind-my-native-earth/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“And that’s all magic was: displacement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-sawant/and-that-s-all-magic-was-displacement/) Rohit Sawant > [We now know that climate change is a driver of migration, and is expected to increase the displacement of populations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/we-now-know-that-climate-change-is-a-driver-of-migration-and-is/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [“To separate the Adivasi from his land is to stop his breathing. If you want to see an Adivasi's extinction, take him away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dayal-munda/to-separate-the-adivasi-from-his-land-is-to-stop-his-breathing-if-you/) Ram dayal munda > [Inspiration comes from displacement. Get out of your comfort zone, the rewards are legion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-lefsetz/inspiration-comes-from-displacement-get-out-of-your-comfort-zone-the/) [Bob Lefsetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-lefsetz/) > [ \[Socialists claim\] that we reject fraternity, solidarity, organization, and association; and they brand us with the name of individualists. We can assure them that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/socialists-claim-that-we-reject-fraternity-solidarity-organization/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [I do miss the excitement of seeing history up close, of having intimate knowledge, through direct experience, of what happens when people and governments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-miss-the-excitement-of-seeing-history-up-close-of-having/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When new businesses open that are trying to attract people with cultural capital or cultural ambitions, they are often more expensive than traditional neighborhood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/when-new-businesses-open-that-are-trying-to-attract-people-with/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [Archimedes said Eureka, Cos in English he weren't too aversed in, when he discovered that the volume of a body in the bath, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-digance/archimedes-said-eureka-cos-in-english-he-weren-t-too-aversed-in-when/) Richard Digance > [One of the drivers of displacement and potential conflict over the next 10 to 20 years will be climate (change) - resource scarcity, climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/one-of-the-drivers-of-displacement-and-potential-conflict-over-the/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [If Trump were to go ahead with a renewed policy of hostility toward Iran, it would immediately raise tensions, and could quickly escalate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/if-trump-were-to-go-ahead-with-a-renewed-policy-of-hostility-toward/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [One of the chief peculiarities of this treatise is the doctrine that the true electric current, on which the electromagnetic phenomena depend, is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clerk-maxwell/one-of-the-chief-peculiarities-of-this-treatise-is-the-doctrine-that/) [James Clerk Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clerk-maxwell/) > [The time has come to end the suffering and the plight of millions of Palestine refugees in the homeland and the Diaspora, to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/the-time-has-come-to-end-the-suffering-and-the-plight-of-millions-of/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [The challenge of ending displacement is inseparable from the challenge of establishing and maintaining peace. When wars end, farmers return to their fields; children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-bacon/the-challenge-of-ending-displacement-is-inseparable-from-the/) Kenneth Bacon > [The population explosion is an ecological phenomenon of displacement. Unless we solve that ecological problem of displacing people - to build huge dams, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/the-population-explosion-is-an-ecological-phenomenon-of-displacement/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) [Browse all 75 Displacement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/displacement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A single eviction could destabilize multiple city blocks, not only the block from which a family was evicted but also the block to which it begrudgingly relocated. 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