---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I saw people get fired after their…"
description: "\"I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I found that if you get evicted, your chances of losing your job increase by 20 percent, that's w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg"
---

#  I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I…

![“I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I found that if you get evicted, your chances of losing your job increase by 20 percent, that's when it really hit home for me.” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg)

> “I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I found that if you get evicted, your chances of losing your job increase by 20 percent, that's when it really hit home for me.”

[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.

Eviction sharply raises the risk of job loss, highlighting a vicious cycle of poverty.

**In simple terms:** Being evicted makes job loss more likely.

Key Takeaway

Address housing stability to protect employment.

Themes

poverty housing employment inequality

Mood

concerned urgent

Type

sociological policy

When to use this quote

- policy reform
- social services
- job counseling
- tenant rights

Key Concepts

social determinants economic vulnerability

Questions to Reflect On

- How can communities break the eviction‑employment cycle?
- What policies could reduce this risk?

A Different Perspective

The correlation may not imply direct causation; other factors could contribute.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evicted/) [Evicted Chances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evicted-chances-482388/) [Eviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eviction/) [Fired Eviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fired-eviction-482387/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Losing Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-job/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/)

## Related quotes

> [Moms that get evicted are depressed and have higher rates of depressive symptoms two years later. That has to affect their interactions with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/moms-that-get-evicted-are-depressed-and-have-higher-rates-of/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [African American women, and moms in particular, are evicted at disproportionately high rates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/african-american-women-and-moms-in-particular-are-evicted-at/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [When you ask people why they were evicted, the big reason is nonpayment of rent. They can't afford to keep a roof over their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-you-ask-people-why-they-were-evicted-the-big-reason-is/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [This country has so much wealth and so much poverty, and that seemed wrong to me. 'Evicted' was my Ph.D. dissertation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/this-country-has-so-much-wealth-and-so-much-poverty-and-that-seemed/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [There is a deep connection, when we're talking about certain market forces and a legal structure that inhibits low or moderate income families from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/there-is-a-deep-connection-when-we-re-talking-about-certain-market/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [Eviction is much more an inevitability than a result of irresponsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-is-much-more-an-inevitability-than-a-result-of/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [Eviction affects old folks and young folks, sick people and able-bodied people, white communities and African-American communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-affects-old-folks-and-young-folks-sick-people-and-able/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [“Eviction's fallout is severe. Losing a home sends families to shelters, abandoned houses, and the street. It invites depression and illness, compels families to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-s-fallout-is-severe-losing-a-home-sends-families-to-shelters/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [Poverty is a relationship that involves a lot of folks, rich and poor alike. I was looking for something that brought a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/poverty-is-a-relationship-that-involves-a-lot-of-folks-rich-and-poor/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

## 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 Evicted quotes

> [It is a special kind of homelessness to be evicted from your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/it-is-a-special-kind-of-homelessness-to-be-evicted-from-your-dreams/)

[Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/)

> [I know what it's like to be on public assistance and to be unemployed. And I know what it's like to be evicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-james/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-on-public-assistance-and-to-be-unemployed/)

[Letitia James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-james/)

> [During the late '20s my father left us. My mother was in a complete hole with no money, and we were evicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidal-sassoon/during-the-late-20s-my-father-left-us-my-mother-was-in-a-complete/)

[Vidal Sassoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidal-sassoon/)

> [“The only place I ever felt at home was with you. There isn’t a place for me anywhere anymore… I’ve been evicted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/the-only-place-i-ever-felt-at-home-was-with-you-there-isn-t-a-place/)

[Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/)

> [I remember getting evicted and all kinds of stuff. Police coming to get me out of my house, telling me it's time to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-wave/i-remember-getting-evicted-and-all-kinds-of-stuff-police-coming-to/)

[Rod Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-wave/)

> [I grew up in New York City during the Depression. My earliest recollections were of my parents talking about what they would do if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-grew-up-in-new-york-city-during-the-depression-my-earliest/)

[Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/)

> [We got evicted from our house in Guildford. We were chucked out and had nowhere to go. We ended up in social housing. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-got-evicted-from-our-house-in-guildford-we-were-chucked-out-and/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [I was so gutted to be evicted from 'Big Brother,' but I do think things happen for a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-hammond/i-was-so-gutted-to-be-evicted-from-big-brother-but-i-do-think-things/)

[Alison Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-hammond/)

> [What scared me was my mother getting evicted from my house. Seeing them repo my momma's car once. Wondering if I didn't provide for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-gotti/what-scared-me-was-my-mother-getting-evicted-from-my-house-seeing/)

[Yo Gotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-gotti/)

> [ I'm a long way from being evicted \[at the age of 14\], but I'll never forget it. I'll never forget the feeling. I'll never… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/i-m-a-long-way-from-being-evicted-at-the-age-of-14-but-i-ll-never/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“The urban renewers had struck again. They'd evicted me, a fortune-teller, and a bookie from the corner of Mass. Ave. and Boylston, moved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/the-urban-renewers-had-struck-again-they-d-evicted-me-a-fortune/)

[Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/)

> [We don't think there are cases where people were evicted out of homes when they shouldn't have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/we-don-t-think-there-are-cases-where-people-were-evicted-out-of-homes/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [This country has so much wealth and so much poverty, and that seemed wrong to me. 'Evicted' was my Ph.D. dissertation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/this-country-has-so-much-wealth-and-so-much-poverty-and-that-seemed/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [When you ask people why they were evicted, the big reason is nonpayment of rent. They can't afford to keep a roof over their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-you-ask-people-why-they-were-evicted-the-big-reason-is/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

> [African American women, and moms in particular, are evicted at disproportionately high rates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/african-american-women-and-moms-in-particular-are-evicted-at/)

[Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/)

[Browse all 36 Evicted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evicted/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I found that if you get evicted, your chances of losing your job increase by 20 percent, that's when it really hit home for me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Matthew Desmond"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-eviction-but-when-i-found-that-if/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evicted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-eviction-but-when-i-found-that-if/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/matthew-desmond-1529_home_i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-evict_1630866.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I saw people get fired after their eviction. But when I found that if you get evicted, your chances of…” — Matthew Desmond",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Matthew Desmond",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I saw people get fired after...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-eviction-but-when-i-found-that-if/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-saw-people-get-fired-after-their-eviction-but-when-i-found-that-if/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
