Publication

Reducing Readmissions by Addressing the Social Determinants of Health

with William N. Evans, Sarah Kroeger, Elizabeth L. Munnich, and Kathryn L. Wagner

American Journal of Health Economics, 7(1), 2021.

National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation 2021 Research Award Finalist

Working Papers

The Effects of Public Eviction Records on Low-Income Households

with John Eric Humphries, Hsi-Ling Liao, Alison Lodermeier, Stephen Stapleton, and Winnie van Dijk

Presentations:  AREUEA National Conference (scheduled), SOLE  (scheduled, coauthor presenting)

Awards: AREUEA Junior Scholars Program (JSP), NBER Graduate Fellowship on Consumer Financial Management

*This subsumes and replaces an earlier version submitted for my candidacy exam and Alison Lodermeier's dissertation. 

Abstract:  Housing advocates, media outlets, and policymakers have long argued that a public eviction filing record—often referred to as the “Scarlet E”—carries significant consequences, particularly for low-income households. Despite the attention given to this issue, we lack causal evidence on the impact of a public eviction filing record on individual outcomes. In this paper, we aim to provide the first causal estimates of the effect of a public eviction filing record. To do so, we leverage an Illinois policy that mandated all eviction cases be filed under seal between March 2020 and March 2022. Upon the expiration of the sealing policy on April 1, 2022, all new eviction filings were public record while previously filed cases remained sealed. Leveraging this policy end date, we adopt a difference-in-difference approach and a regression discontinuity design to compare the post-filing outcomes of tenants with sealed and public eviction cases in Cook County, Illinois. We begin by documenting that filing eviction cases immediately under seal effectively prevents tenant screening companies from accessing information about eviction cases and tenants, but retroactive record sealing is ineffective in restricting public access. We then link case information to address histories and credit files to estimate the effects of public records on residential mobility, neighborhood conditions, and financial health. The results of this study will inform policy decisions on record-sealing laws in jurisdictions across the country.

The Impact of Temporary Rental Subsidies on Homelessness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

with David Phillips and James Sullivan

Presentations:  Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) Summer Research Workshop (scheduled, co-presenting with David Phillips)

Supported by NSF and J-PAL North America

Abstract:  Unconditional, indefinite housing subsidies have been shown to reduce homelessness, but such programs are massively over-subscribed. Policymakers have expanded less expensive, time-limited Rapid Re-Housing (RRH) subsidies to serve more people, with little empirical backing. Time-limited rental subsidies are predicated on the idea that homelessness results from financial constraints that can be addressed with temporary assistance. We conduct a randomized controlled trial that provides temporary rental subsidies to single, homeless adults. During the 30 months after random assignment, the treatment group receives an unconditional average of about $10,000 in financial assistance, even though only about half of those assigned to the treatment group successfully lease a unit with assistance. Preliminary results indicate that this assistance leads to a reduction in homelessness of one third and a reduction in the number of shelter days by two-thirds while the subsidy is active. Preliminary sub-sample results indicate that a substantial portion of these effects persist after the subsidy ends. Long-term follow-up will be available for three-quarters of the sample by summer 2025.

Work in Progress

Better Outcomes, Lower Costs: Evidence from Competitive Bidding in WIC

with Rebecca Brough