It can take decades for an urban community to develop, but a fraction of that time for it to be torn apart. Each year, urban residents are forced out of their homes and out of their communities to make way for gentrification or other kinds of urban development. When these individuals are forced to leave their homes, they're also forced to leave behind their histories and cultures. These changes often rob communities of support systems, which is a focus of this episode of Stats and Stories with guest Dr. Tim Thomas.

Dr. Tim Thomas is a professional researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as research director of the Urban Displacement Project. He also founded and serves as the director of the Eviction Research Network. He recently served as the chief research and data officer at the King County Regional Homeless Authority, where he led efforts to use data-driven strategies to address homelessness. Thomas's research focuses on neighborhood change, housing disparity, and urban displacement. His works informed tenant protection laws across the country, as well as the eviction moratorium during the COVID pandemic.