Since the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple urban areas in America have been in an eviction crisis, which has led many associated organizations to scramble for solutions. In Central Florida in particular, many workers in the service industry had been laid off; state interventions against eviction were short, exacerbating the crisis.

This led to the founding of the case study of this thesis, a housing collective action group, composed of actors from the civic, private, legal and local government sphere, to join efforts in countering this eviction crisis.

Studies in collective action theory have been applied before in various kinds of social structures, including housing. But where much literature has been devoted to the American housing crisis in general, there has been less attention to evictions, let alone in more southern cities like Orlando, leaving an academic gap to be filled.

This thesis addresses the post-Covid eviction crisis in Central Florida through the lens of a local group of organizations (the Eviction Collective Action Group), using collective action theory and comparing their narratives with various relevant data sources. It aims at bringing the field of power dynamics of a localized housing system into clear view, determining who has the biggest sway in curbing the eviction crisis.

It does so by asking: How does the Eviction Collective Action Group make an impact in the eviction crisis in Central Florida? What are the main features of the eviction crisis in Central Florida? How can collective action theory help explain the eviction crisis in Central Florida and the impact of the Eviction Collective Action Group on it? And in comparing narratives from the Eviction Collective Action Group, how do the power dynamics play out, both within the organization and in the broader housing landscape?

The research has found that housing collective action groups are indeed an impactful method of addressing an eviction crisis, with many organizations being mobilized and forming long-lasting bonds that help counter the crisis in the long run. There remain challenges, however, both in the application of collective action theory for analyzing these sorts of groups, as well as in the practical functioning of the group.
These challenges include strongly embedded institutional actors from the private sector thwarting legislation countering eviction protection, a dominant group of actors within the collective action group leaning towards one narrative and a lack of resources for the group to continue.