IRE Radio Podcast | Eviction City

A slow-moving housing crisis has been tearing apart communities in the city of Detroit. Homeowners have been replaced by renters. Mortgage and tax foreclosures have allowed landlords to scoop up potential rental properties on the cheap. On this episode, Detroit News reporter Christine MacDonald walks us through her data-driven investigation into evictions. Christine explains how the paper analyzed nearly 285,000 eviction cases and developed sources who could put a human face on the problem.

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RESOURCES

Looking for links to the stories and resources we discussed on this week's podcast? We've collected them for you.

• Read Christine MacDonald’s Detroit News investigation on persistent evictions in the city.
• Read and watch the story of the Tucker family on The Detroit News’ website.
• Read about how the city of Detroit is working to update its rental regulations.
• Members only: Download a 2017 tipsheet from Tim Henderson on using data to enhance stories about housing affordability, construction, and prices.
• Members only: Watch a webinar on how to investigate landlords and safety hazards in off-campus student housing.

MUSIC

Sunday Lights (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Waterbourne (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Filing Away  (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

One Quiet Conversation (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

Balti (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

LaBranche (Blue Dot Sessions) / CC BY-NC 4.0

CREDITS

Abby Ivory-Ganja reported this episode. Erin McKinstry is our host. IRE Editorial Director Sarah Hutchins edits the podcast. Blake Nelson draws our episode art. We are recorded in the studios of KBIA at the University of Missouri.