New study shows 13,000 HISD students were impacted by evictions over 14-year period

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Data shows that nearly one in 10 Houston renters face eviction, and a new study shows the impacts those filings can have on HISD students.

Sitting outside the Harris County Pct. 7, in one courtroom, Cameron Williams couldn't help but think of how he got there.

"It's a huge gut punch," Williams said. "A huge gut punch."

Williams is facing a difficult time head-on. On Wednesday, he went to court hoping to avoid what could be coming.

"It's very hard emotionally," Williams explained. "Because you think about it, like, you tried your hardest, like, 'Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.' You go through a lot of emotions."

A few weeks ago, Williams was served with an eviction notice. He could soon be forced to leave his southwest Houston apartment.

It's a legal process that tens of thousands of Houstonians face every year. A new report looks at evictions in a different way.

"We know how many cases are being filed around the country, but we sometimes lose track of the human element," Eviction Lab associate director Peter Hepburn said.

Hepburn said he wanted to study how evictions impact students. The group partnered with the Kinder Institute at Rice, which provided them with HISD data, and this week, released the results.

It found that over a 14-year period, 13,000 students faced evictions. Of those, 12% switched schools during the year and over 20% switched during the summer-- figures that were double compared to students who didn't face eviction.

"We know that there's this whole body of research that those types of school moves have downstream consequences in terms of the likelihood of students to act out in school, to do well in school, and to successfully graduate," Hepburn explained.

Changing schools, researchers say, can leave lasting impacts on students. To help them, they said it's important that districts offer support.

"HISD has done a lot of work around homelessness," Hepburn said. "I think they should be commended for that work. It didn't seem eviction was as much on their radar."

This change does not only impact families with kids. Researchers said more than 75,000 evictions were filed in Houston this past year.

The Eviction Lab found last month that the average Houston landlord was looking to collect more than $1,600 in their filings.

The group found that this issue impacts 9% of Houston renters, which they say is below other cities.

While Houston is lower than some areas, the lasting impact of a notice goes beyond the total figure.

"Find another place to stay," Williams said. "That's all I can do. I can't go live on the streets. My family's not going to let that happen."

ABC13 reached out to HISD to see what it does to help students who face eviction. We're told the district is looking into it and working on a response.

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