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The Keys to Safety

Why housing protections increase safety for all

People who rent their homes experience the majority of violence in America. Renters and their families endure serious violence – aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and sexual assault – at three times the rate of people who live in owner-occupied housing. This disparity persists across racial and ethnic groups, income levels, and age. A primary reason for renters’ disproportionate vulnerability to violence is that many lack the resources and flexibility they need to make themselves and their families safe.

This report highlights the unique vulnerabilities of people who rent their homes and demonstrates that housing protections are critical to public safety. New analyses of the National Crime Victimization Survey, the Survey of Consumer Finances, and the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health reveal the disproportionate violence that people who rent their homes endure and point to four policy strategies that protect renters and promote public safety.