Black moms and pregnant women forced out of their homes in metro Detroit face health and safety threats

September 21, 2026

A social epidemiology professor's research in Detroit reveals that illegal evictions—where landlords bypass required court processes—account for approximately half of all evictions in metro Detroit, disproportionately affecting Black women and children. While Michigan law mandates that landlords obtain court orders before evicting tenants, many ignore this legal requirement, leading to particularly severe consequences for pregnant and postpartum women, including homelessness, food insecurity, and even loss of child custody. The SECURE Study, involving nearly 1,500 Black women, documents how these illegal evictions violate reproductive justice rights and create cascading health problems across generations.

Who is affected

Black women and children in metro Detroit (particularly ages 18-46)
Pregnant and postpartum women (more than 1 in 3 pregnant or postpartum participants who were illegally evicted became homeless)
Renters without formal lease agreements (26% of pregnant/postpartum women illegally evicted)
Renters with month-to-month tenancies (21% of all illegally evicted participants)
Multiple generations within families (children, grandchildren)
Mothers who lost custody of their children following illegal evictions
Children who experienced eviction as minors and later as adults

What action is being taken

The professor is leading the SECURE Study in partnership with a community advisory board of Black women leaders to research court-ordered and illegal evictions. The research team is conducting in-depth interviews with participants (55 women who reported illegal evictions) and collecting data from nearly 1,500 Black women to document the impacts of illegal evictions.

Why it matters

This research exposes a critical gap in housing protections where illegal evictions—which constitute approximately half of all evictions in metro Detroit—bypass legal safeguards entirely, leaving vulnerable populations without recourse. The consequences are severe and multigenerational, including homelessness for pregnant women, adverse birth outcomes, food insecurity, family separations through loss of child custody, and developmental issues for children. The findings reveal that current state and local policies fail to address illegal evictions, meaning they only tackle half the problem while the most vulnerable populations remain unprotected from unlawful housing displacement that violates their human rights to housing and reproductive justice.

What's next

The research suggests that expanding state and local programs with the unique needs of mothers and babies in mind could help guarantee their human right to housing, reduce homelessness, and prevent family separations. However, no explicit next steps stated in the article.

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com