Fight, Flight, Freeze: How Access to Support Shapes Tenant Responses to Eviction in Multnomah County (2024)
Facing an eviction is a traumatic event that forces tenants into a fight, flight, or freeze response. These responses are directly shaped by tenants’ ability to access support. Most tenants are unable to access formal support and therefore respond to eviction by freezing up or fleeing their home. But tenants who are able to access support - including rental assistance or legal assistance - exhibit a fight response because they can draw on external support to challenge or avoid their eviction.
Key Findings
The following findings are drawn from the research team’s focus groups with Multnomah County tenants who faced an eviction since the beginning of the pandemic.
The most common tenant response was flight. Some tenants experienced more than one type of response. Of the tenants who described their response:
51% experienced a fight response - they took action to avoid or challenge the eviction
58% experienced a flight response - they left their home to avoid trouble with the legal system or their landlord
17% experienced a freeze response - they were overwhelmed with fear or uncertainty and therefore unable to act
Vulnerable groups faced unique challenges. Black, African American, and African tenants faced racial discrimination, Latine immigrants faced language barriers, and tenants with a criminal record often chose to avoid engaging with the legal system altogether.
Tenants experienced intense stress and adverse health impacts during eviction. Health impacts included anxiety, depression, insomnia, and high blood pressure.
Tenants most urgent needs were money, finding a new place to stay, and legal assistance.Many tenants who were forced out of their homes relied on friends or family members for a temporary place to stay.
Only 25% of tenants received formal support Some tenants were not even aware that support was available, while others tried to secure support but encountered barriers that prevented them from obtaining it. Tenants faced confusing requirements, time limitations, and failed to hear back from organizations they contacted.
Tenants’ access to support shaped how they were able to respond to their eviction. Whether tenants fought, fled, or froze depended on their knowledge of and access to resources. Tenants that took action to avoid or challenge their eviction often had some knowledge of their rights or existing resources. Conversely, tenants that froze or fled did so because they did not know where to turn for help or were too overwhelmed to search for resources.
General Information:
Researchers: Dr. Natalie J. Cholula, Dr. Lisa K. Bates, Dr. Alex Farrington, Dr. Marisa Zapata, Colleen Carroll, Jacen Greene, and Hadley Bates.
Funding: Portland Housing Bureau, Oregon Housing and Community Services. Unless otherwise specifically stated, the views and opinions expressed in the report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Portland Housing Bureau or Oregon Housing and Community Services.
Citation: Cholula, Natalie J.; Bates, Lisa; Farrington, Alex; Zapata, Marisa; Carroll, Colleen; Greene, Jacen; and Bates, Hadley. (2024) "Fight, Flight, Freeze: How Access to Support Shapes Tenant Responses to Eviction in Multnomah County." https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41434