Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison professor and sociologist Sarah Helpern-Meekin studies instability in peoples’ lives. This includes the role policy can play in affecting the instability around family members or financial situations.
She said for families working with a more fixed income, including those who are low income, have to make tough choices about where to cut back.
Renters can often face higher rents, but homeowners often must make the tough decision of whether to stay where they are or move.
“The options are often limited,” she said. “You need to pay your property taxes to hold onto your home, so you have to make some decisions about what it’s worth to you to hold onto your home if paying those property taxes is not feasible.”