Data science for housing, health, justice, & climate
Measuring the stream from displacement to homelessness & how to bring people back
Why CiDR Lab?
Most of our best work started with "we're not sure what we're looking for."
That's fine. We're built for that. The harder truth is that the data governments and agencies need — on housing instability, its intersections with public health, criminal justice, and climate displacement — usually doesn't exist yet. Or it exists in pieces, uncleaned and unusable. We create it, link it, and engineer it into a finding that changes how a room full of decision-makers sees the problem.
In our experience, the ask is almost always the same: give us something that helps us make a decision. We make those tools. We work with cities, counties, legal aids, and nonprofits — from one-time data assessments to multi-year research partnerships.
Mapping Housing Precarity Nationwide
Rooted in the Eviction Research Network and developed at the Urban Displacement Project, the Housing Precarity Risk Model uses 600+ variables to predict where evictions and displacement will strike — even where no data previously existed.
These data-driven tools give policymakers, advocates, and service providers the evidence they need to target resources before families reach crisis.
Explore the HPRM
Data Science Built With Communities
We don't study communities from a distance. Our approach centers the people most affected by housing instability — and the health crises, justice system contact, and climate displacement that flow from it.
By building research infrastructure alongside community partners, we create tools and evidence that serve the organizations already doing the work on the ground.
See our approach
Evidence So Clear It Changes What's Possible
From state-level eviction maps that revealed racial disparities in court filings, to risk models now used by policymakers across multiple states -- our research doesn't sit on shelves.
Rooted at UC Berkeley, we combine academic rigor with an urgency for impact. Every dataset, every visualization, every report is designed to make injustice undeniable and solutions actionable.
Meet the team
Where Will People Go When the Climate Changes?
Housing precarity doesn't end where climate risk begins — it compounds. Wildfires, rising seas, and extreme heat are pushing vulnerable households toward new communities. But those receiving communities often face their own affordability crises.
We're extending the Housing Precarity Risk Model to climate vulnerability — mapping where displacement risk and climate hazard collide, and identifying where people can actually afford to go.
Explore climate researchReady to Work Together?
We partner with governments, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations on research, data engineering, and policy analysis. Every engagement starts with a conversation about what you need.