Neighborhood eviction filings and judgments, child maltreatment reports, and child protective services involvement

This study examined whether eviction filings and judgements were associated with child maltreatment reports at the census-tract level in Illinois, overall, by maltreatment type, and by report source, as well as with subsequent stages of CPS involvement, including substantiations, service case openings, and foster care placements. We used nine years of administrative data (2010–2018) combining Eviction Lab’s proprietary eviction filings and judgment records with Illinois CPS records. Given substantial variation in eviction and maltreatment patterns by rurality, we assessed differences across large urban, small urban, and rural areas. Using within- and between-tract models adjusted for sociodemographic factors, higher eviction filing and judgment rates were associated with increased maltreatment report rates, with the strongest associations observed in rural and small urban areas. Associations were most pronounced for neglect, though physical and sexual abuse reports were also substantially elevated. Contrary to the visibility bias hypothesis, eviction was not more strongly associated with reports from mandated reporters than from non-mandated reporters, suggesting the higher report rates may not be primarily due to increased mandated surveillance. Among reported cases, higher eviction rates were linked to greater substantiation and foster care placement probabilities in small urban areas, while findings in rural areas were mixed. These results indicate that eviction-related housing instability is consistently associated with multiple forms of maltreatment reporting and, in some contexts, deeper CPS involvement. Prevention policies should consider housing stability and rapid re-housing, with a particular attention to small urban and rural communities, to reduce maltreatment reports and subsequent CPS intervention.