The national housing crisis is exploding, with 2.2 million foreclosure actions started last year alone. Renters and homeowners have been forced to move, and the trauma is rippling across neighborhoods and anchor institutions of every size and description.

The executive branch and Congress are pouring billions of dollars into stemming the tide of foreclosures, evictions, and neighborhood distress. But so far, the crisis's impact on children and their families has been largely unexplored. And how will the new policy efforts play out on the ground?

This Thursday’s Child investigates issues including the scope of the crisis, foreclosures' effects on kids and communities, and the research needed to understand those outcomes better.

Panelists

Malcolm Bush, research fellow, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Ingrid Gould Ellen, codirector, Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, New York University

Olivia Golden, institute fellow, Urban Institute; former assistant secretary for children and families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Moderator)

Thomas Perez, Maryland secretary of labor, licensing and regulation

Lewis Smith, mortgage counselor and reverse mortgage specialist, Manna Mortgage


Hard Lessons in Helping Homeowners (Washington Post)