> there was no guarantee they would be able to find any job, Yes, there are no guarantees - ever. > So moving to a cheaper place wasn't really an option. Wo

> there was no guarantee they would be able to find any job, Yes, there are no guarantees - ever. > So moving to a cheaper place wasn't really an option. Woah. How does that follow, now? While it's true that there are no guarantees in life, you always have options. But living in a place that you can't afford is not really one of them. Life is full of all sorts of crazy things that happen to you unexpectedly, and absolutely none of them entitle you to live beyond your means once your savings are exhausted. Now there are safety nets for income like unemployment insurance or SS disability, and with covid additional tax refunds were given, but none of these income insurance programs will be enough to make up for a lost job, so if you are one of those who lost their job due to covid, then your means will be reduced. And whatever those lower means are, you need to be able to pay rent from those means. It doesn't matter whether your means were reduced by covid or foreign competition or rising interest rates or going through a divorce. Moreover the alternative view, that you don't need to pay your bills because covid happened, is a truly toxic form of entitlement.