The quote "Eviction is a cause, not just a condition of poverty," appears on page 299 of the book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the America City by Matthew Desmond. It appears in the final chapter titled "Epilogue: Home and Hope."

In this chapter, the author talks about how people need a place to call home and how communities need people that feel secure in their homes. He uses an example of a heroin addict named Scott who, once he was provided with stable housing, got off heroin and found himself a worthwhile job. By comparison, people that are simply evicted tend to get moved to poorer and more dangerous areas. What you get is a whole community of people who are angry about having to live there. As the author states, "neighborhoods determine so much about your life from the kind of job opportunities you have to the kind of schools your children attend."