Evictions reflecting higher rents

It's no secret that rental prices have been soaring, but with that trend comes many victims -- those who miss a payment, then receive an eviction notice, and then end up on the street.

The number of evictions has been getting worse since the end of the recession, according to Arnold Cohen, senior policy coordinator for the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey.

"What we're seeing is that people who lost jobs are coming back to work at jobs that pay much lower," Cohen said. "People have less income."

At the same time, the rental market is dealing with a strong demand for urban living and those who have been counting on rentals ever since they were displaced by Superstorm Sandy. People want it, there's not enough of it, and the prices go up.

Cohen also pointed to a shift toward constructing rentals that appeal more to a luxury market, which does not help the disappearing middle class.

According to a recent analysis by the New York Times, New Jersey had one eviction filing for every six rentals in the last full fiscal year.

"It causes tremendous stress on a family, to have to pick up where their roots are," Cohen said. "It's a displacement of your entire life."

Making matters worse, it has become harder for evicted tenants to get a new start. Landlords have access to several online databases that keep records of missed and late payments. They can also run background and credit checks.