Legal evictions occur for many reasons: nonpayment of rent, illegal activity, property damage, expiration of lease, and lease violation; illegal forced evictions often take the form of landlords changing locks, harassing tenants, and threatening violence if they do not move out. In these cases, the burden of proof, court time and lawyer fees can prohibit tenants taking legal action.

Though many individuals experiencing homelessness have also experienced eviction, and report eviction as the primary reason they are experiencing homelessness, individuals almost always exhaust other options before resorting to a night on the street. This may mean sleeping in the houses of family members and friends before running out of options; that is, many people experiencing homelessness have been evicted, but not all people who are evicted experience homelessness. 

In their own words: William | Detroit, USA