Court-watching helps address the fact that we cannot easily see the private side of what it’s like for fellow Hoosiers to be affected by evictions and unstable housing, such as experiences with ‘couch surfing’, sleeping in their car, and trying to secure a spot in the local shelter. We also cannot easily see the long-term impact evictions have on families, such as on educational and health outcomes for children, and difficulties securing new jobs and places to live. We can, however, be present and observe the moment that our neighbors’ housing instability becomes a crisis: when they are evicted. In that way, court watching not only benefits the court watcher’s understanding of the issue, but can help improve individual and systemic eviction outcomes.
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