The United States of Debt | Ep. 5 | The Collapse Of the American Dream

In the wake of the housing crash and foreclosure crisis, millions of Americans lost their homes. Today, many people are still wrestling with the fallout of the crisis, with their credit all but destroyed. In Episode 5, Helaine explores the depth of America’s housing crisis. Why did so many people lose their homes to foreclosure? Who was responsible for the crisis anyway—individual home owners or bigger institutions? And if the crisis is still happening, why do we hear so little about it? Our guest experts on Episode 5 include Alyssa Katz, author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us; Maya Rockeymoore, president of the Center for Global Policy Solutions; Elyse Cherry, CEO of Boston Community Capital; and Christie Peale, executive director at Center for NYC Neighborhoods.  Access to this Slate Academy is a part of your Slate Plus membership. To learn more, chat in our private Facebook group, and read supplementary materials, visit Slate.com/debt. This episode included music by Kai Engel, Chris Zabriskie, Kevin MacLeod, and Sergey Cheremisinov.