A new study from the University of Michigan finds housing discrimination in metro Detroit is more likely in poorer communities with more Black or Hispanic residents.
The researchers expected discrimination to be more likely in whiter, wealthier communities. But it wasn't.
Steve Tomkowiak is the executive director of the Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit. He says housing discrimination can lead to chronic vulnerability.
"Could be race, could be mental disability, physical disability. They get turned down multiple times. Or discriminated against multiple times. It’s not a one-time thing. And that’s really upsetting."
The study’s authors say housing instability can erode both physical and mental health. They say a rising tide of likely evictions due to the pandemic makes these health threats even more urgent.