The Appalachian Justice Research Center (AJRC) will release their first public research report, “Housing Stability and Tenant Representation in a Changing Knoxville,” on Wednesday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the College of Law, Room 135.

As part of the inaugural semester of the Appalachian Justice Research Lab course in fall 2024, faculty and students conducted a study to understand the eviction process in Knoxville and Knox County and its impacts on tenants, landlords, lawyers, judges, the city, and the county. The report focuses on three areas: 1) the eviction court process, which includes court observations and tenant interviews, 2) the existing legal framework, which includes an analyzation of local and state laws and practices and key informant interviews, and 3) the economic impacts, which includes a cost benefit analysis of Legal Aid of East Tennessee’s eviction prevention program.

The AJRC team - co-director, Professor Wendy Bach (law); Primary Investigator, Dr. Solange Muñoz (geography & sustainability), and student researchers - will share an overview of the findings from the report as well as data-driven recommendations for next steps.

More about the Appalachian Justice Research Center: The AJRC is a transdisciplinary research and training collaborative co-sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Law. The Center is dedicated to advancing community visions for a more just and equitable Appalachia and the Mountain South. In keeping with the university’s land grant mission, the AJRC leverages university resources to address urgent, protracted, and historically under-addressed issues in the expansive region. AJRC research projects are focused on producing tangible solutions to pressing community questions, particularly questions raised by communities most impacted by histories of poverty and violence. Learn more about the AJRC here: ajrc.utk.edu