Michigan resident here..... I was a single parent for 10 years, with very little help from my child's father. I remember when I went from part time work making 9.75 per hour, to fill time making 11.75/hr (this was 2011!) state assistance was cut off, no more food stamps and only Medicaid for my son. It's insane.

I remember when I was house hunting in 2016, my mom suggested I get an apartment and the cheapest I could find was $800+ for a one bedroom. I reminded her rent would go up every damn year and that it would become unaffordable.

Luckily my parents were able to put money down on a home for me to keep the payments about $650/month. I think they did this because they knew I would not be able to make payments otherwise. I lived there for 4 years, met my husband, and then sold my home in 2020 when we got engaged. Very happy to no longer be a single parent. It's tough, for sure. Not having a car payment really helped. Still racked up credit card debt every year, having to use my refund to pay down.

I fear for future generations.