The Confluence
These aren't separate problems. They're one story we refuse to tell in fragments.
Where housing, health, and justice converge
The Confluence
A family displaced by eviction faces health crises. Health crises lead to job loss. Job loss leads to system contact. System contact makes housing harder to find.
- Housing — Eviction, displacement, and the erosion of community roots
- Health — Physical and mental wellbeing shaped by where we live
- Justice — System contact and the cycles it creates
We study where these streams converge—not to document suffering, but to find the intervention points where one change creates ripples across all three.
The Evidence
This is how we know what we know. Rigorous peer review. Real policy change. A track record of research that doesn't just describe problems—it transforms responses.
Research Funding
NIH, HUD, VA, and foundation grantsPeer-Reviewed Publications
In top sociology, policy, and data science journalsStates Impacted
CA, WA, OR, MN, IN, OH, DE, MD, TX, and beyondPolicy Testimonies
White House, Senate committees, city councils
Policy Impact
Research that doesn't stay in journals—it changes policy and protects communities.
Right to Counsel Legislation
Right to counsel legislation in Baltimore and Washington State
Just Cause Eviction Protections
Just cause eviction protections advanced statewide in WA
Federal Policy Recommendations
Federal COVID-19 eviction policy recommendations
National Academies Strategy
National Academies pandemic eviction strategy and ACLU civil rights litigation support
Research Partners
Plus partnerships with legal aids, city governments, state agencies, and advocacy organizations across the country.
UC Berkeley
Department of Sociology
NIH
National Institutes of Health
HUD
Housing and Urban Development
Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Research
National Academies of Sciences
Research Advisory
PolicyLink
Equity Research Partner
Meet the Stewards
Scientists for civic engagement. Not neutral observers. Researchers who believe data should protect, illuminate, and transform.
Dr. Tim Thomas
Co-Founder, CiDR LabFrom Seattle Central to the White House
Tim's path began at Seattle Central Community College and led through a PhD in Sociology at University of Washington, where his dissertation—"Forced Out: Race, Market, & Neighborhood Dynamics of Evictions"—set the course for his life's work.
Research That Becomes Law
His testimony before the Washington State legislature, Baltimore City Council, and the White House helped advance right to counsel legislation and just cause eviction protections. Over $4M in grants. 15 + peer-reviewed publications. Research that doesn't stay in journals—it changes policy.
"Creating evidence so clear it demands action."
Aaron Culich
Co-Founder, CiDR LabFrom Harvard Computing to Emotional Intelligence
Aaron's career spans from deep computing at Harvard to leading research data infrastructure at Berkeley. Along the way, he became a certified Search Inside Yourself emotional intelligence teacher and Sidewalk Talk trainer—because technical excellence without human connection isn't enough.
Infrastructure for Impact
He's co-authored foundational papers on reproducible research, built the systems that power collaborative data science, and mentors the next generation of researchers. His work on Binder and research computing has enabled thousands of scientists to share and reproduce computational research.
"Technical sophistication in service of community protection."
A partnership built on complementary expertise and shared values
Affiliated with