If you have someone who is paying 88 percent of her income on rent, and we have laws that allow a landlord to evict a tenant who falls behind under those circumstances, eviction becomes an inevitability.
Matthew DesmondRead
Poverty is not just a sad accident, but it's also a result of the fact that some people make a lot of money off low-income families and directly contribute to their poverty.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poverty is often perpetuated by systemic issues where wealth is generated at the expense of low-income families.
This quote by Matthew Desmond highlights the idea that poverty is not merely an unfortunate circumstance but is deeply tied to economic systems that profit from the suffering of low-income individuals. It suggests that there are those who benefit financially from the existence of poverty, thereby reinforcing the cycle of poverty rather than alleviating it. Desmond calls attention to the moral responsibilities of those at the top of the economic ladder, urging society to recognize and address these inequities.
Themes
PovertyWealthInequalityEconomySocial Justice
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on social justice, one might reference this quote to prompt deeper examination of economic systems.
More from Matthew Desmond
All quotes →Do we believe housing is a right and that affordable housing is part of what it should mean to be an American? I say yes.
Matthew DesmondRead
The texture and hardship of poverty and eviction is something that I think left the deepest impression on me, and I hope that I try to convey a little bit of that to the reader.
Matthew DesmondRead
When I was confronted with just the bare facts of poverty and inequality in America, it always disturbed and confused me.
Matthew DesmondRead
Arguably, the families most at need of housing assistance are systematically denied it because they're stamped with an eviction record. Moms and kids are bearing the brunt of those consequences.
Matthew DesmondRead
Moms that get evicted are depressed and have higher rates of depressive symptoms two years later. That has to affect their interactions with their kids and their sense of happiness. You add all that together, and it's just really obvious to me that eviction is a cause, not just a condition, of poverty.
Matthew DesmondRead
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