MIGRANT CRISIS HAS SHOWN A LIGHT ON A PROBLEM THAT ALREADY EXISTED IN CHICAGO.

HOMELESSNESS.

SEVERAL FACTORS CAN LEAD TO NOT HAVING A HOME, BUT FOR SOME IT HAPPENS AFTER AN EVICTION.

A NEW EXHIBIT WORKS TO EXPLAIN THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN EVICTION HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY WITH HELP FROM THOSE WHO KNOW IT BEST.

IT'S BASED ON THE PULITZER PRIZE WINNING BOOK EVICTED BY PRINCETON, SOCIOLOGIST MATTHEW DESMOND, AS PART OF WTW IS ONGOING INITIATIVE FIRSTHAND HOMELESS.

HERE'S A TOUR.

>> MY NAME IS ROSEMARY AND I WAS 14 WHEN I WAS A BIT IT'S THIS VIDEO THAT JAMES LEE WILLIAMS SAYS HE FINDS ESPECIALLY MOVING >> IT'S TOUCHING IS ABOUT A PERSON REALLY POINT HARD THAT SHE LOST.

>> EVERYTHING THE VIDEO, PLEASE AS PART OF AN EXHIBIT CALLED EVICTED BASED ON THE PULITZER PRIZE WINNING BOOK BY PROFESSOR MATTHEW DESMOND IS A PLAY.

WILLIAMS CAN RELATE BECAUSE HE'S EXPERIENCED IT TOO.

>> LOST EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, DUE TO THE FACT OUR BRAND OVER BY A CAR.

AND IT JUST WENT DOWNHILL POSITION WITH JOB THAT I HAD DESTRUCTION SAID I CAN NO WORK THERE BECAUSE I GOT TO DISABUSE THEM OF AND THE MONEY RAN OUT.

YOU KNOW THAT I WOULD GET NO CHECKED.

YEAH, I WAS ADDICTED.

>> WILLIAMS SAYS HE'S STILL HOMELESS COUCH SURFING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHILE MAINTAINING A PICTURE.

PERFECT EXTERIOR.

>> YOU KNOW, I JUST PLAYED A ROLE WITH PEOPLE LIKE, YOU KNOW, YEAH, I STILL STAY HERE IN HOUSE RIGHT HERE.

YOU SAND LIKE THAT AND ALL I DON'T STAY THERE IN THAT HOUSE ALL ALONE.

STAY HERE.

YOU DON'T SAY.

AND SOMETIME I SLEEP IN MY SUNDAY'S THERE.

AND SOME TIME I GO TO THE HOTEL.

>> THE ROLE WILLIAMS PLAYS HERE AT THE NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM IS EDUCATOR HELPING VISITORS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF EVICTION AND THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE IT.

>> I DIDN'T PAY RENT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND THEY THEY CAME GOT I GOT TO GO.

MOST OF MY STUFF GOT DESTROYED.

YOU KNOW, I'M SAYING I GOT MOST OF MY THAT I START PUTTING ALL MY STUFF IN THE STORES.

I STILL GOT STUART'S STUFF IN MY STORIES NOW.

I GOT STUFF IN MY MIND THAT I GOT STUFF FROM IT.

I GOT I COULD I GOT STUFF.

IT FRIEND'S HOUSE.

YOU KNOW AND STUFF IS EVERYWHERE.

>> PART OF THE EXHIBIT INCLUDES THIS SCULPTURAL PIECE SEEN CONTAINING THE ITEMS THAT MAKE A HOME'S UNDERGO TOSSED ONTO THE STREET.

WE'RE SO SUDDENLY ALL OF THEIR MOST PRECIOUS FAMILY OBJECTS ARE SORT OF RIPPED OUT OF THEIR HOME OWNED UP.

AND THEN IN UNITED STATES WHAT HAPPENED SAYS THERE'S OFTEN.

>> PREDATORY MOVING COMPANIES THAT COM TAKE THE OBJECTS AND PUT THEM INTO A STORAGE FACILITY.

AND THEN UNLESS THE FAMILY HAS ENOUGH MONEY, THEY'LL NEVER GET THEIR OBJECTS A AND SO ALL THROUGHOUT THE NATION, THERE ARE THESE WAREHOUSES JUST FILLED WITH PEOPLE'S MOST PRECIOUS OBJECTS.

>> THE EXHIBIT RELIES ON EDUCATORS LIKE WILLIAMS FROM WHO IS ALSO HOMELESS.

BUT IT ALSO USES NUMBERS.

THE GOAL IS TO ELIMINATE THE HARSH REALITY OF EVICTIONS FROM LOW-INCOME RENTERS.

IN CHICAGO ALONE.

LAST YEAR, WE HAD, YOU KNOW, OVER 24,000 SORT OF EVICTIONS.

AND WE'RE UP THERE AS THE CITY.

THE NUMBERS ALSO SHOW THE DISPROPORTIONAL IMPACT ON BLACK RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY WOMEN.

>> AS LACK BLACK MEN UP, BLACK WOMEN ARE LOCKED OUT.

AND SO REALLY THIS YOU SEE THAT BLACK WOMEN ARE MOST OF THE REST FOR OF ACTION IN THE UNITED STATES.

>> BLACKS MAKE UP ONLY 18.6% OF RENTERS THE ACCOUNT.

FOR 43% OF THOSE WHO WERE EVICTED FOR BLACK WOMEN WITH CHILDREN.

THE EVICTION FILING RATE WAS 28.4% COMPARED TO THE OVERALL FILING RATE FOR ADULTS WITH CHILDREN AT 10.4% RESEARCH SHOWS THAT IN THE U.S. 7.6 MILLION PEOPLE WERE THREATENED WITH EVICTION EACH YEAR BETWEEN 2007 2016, NEARLY 3 MILLION OF THEM WERE CHILDREN.

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT THINK, OH, WELL, PEOPLE WHO ARE EVICTED.

>> DON'T HAVE JOBS.

BUT ACTUALLY WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING WITH US WHO ARE HUSTLING AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE 3 JOBS.

BUT BECAUSE OF THE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS STILL FOR TO ACTUALLY LIVE SOMEWHERE.

>> THE DARAA SAYS HE WORKS BUT ISN'T PAID ENOUGH FOR BRENT.

SOMETIMES HE STAYS WITH FRIENDS, BUT MOSTLY HE SLEEPS OUTSIDE.

>> FIRST, I WAS JUST.

STAYING BY THE TRAIN, MOSTLY.

I'M NOT THE SAFEST PLACE OF BEEN ROBBED TWICE >> ASSAULTED >> HE SAYS HE'S NEVER BEEN EVICTED BUT KNOWS THE PAIN ELECTRIC PEOPLE TOO.

AND EYES PEOPLE.

WE LOST THEIR HOMES BEING EVICTED SUCH BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR HOME.

YOU LOST YOUR PRIVATE SPACE.

YOU LOSE.

YOU WERE.

SPACE WHERE YOU CAN BE SAFE WHERE YOU CAN BE YOURSELF.

IT'S HARD TO FIND ANOTHER PLACE LIKE THAT.

>> JAMES LEE WILLIAMS SAYS IT'S ENOUGH TO MAKE HIM CONSIDER HIS OLD WAYS.

YEARS AGO HE WAS SENT TO PRISON FOR BANK ROBBERY.

BUT TODAY HE HAS A GOOD REASON TO STAY HOPEFUL FOR A BETTER MY DAUGHTER KEEPS ME.

>> A PRISON.

>> BECAUSE I WANTED TO HAVE THE BEST.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE MY DAUGHTER KEEPS ME OUT OF PRISON.

>> DARIOUS WILLIAMS AND OTHER EDUCATORS FOR THE EXHIBIT.

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