Commentary: How Housing Counseling, Financial Education, and Consumer Guardrails Can Support Responsible Borrowers

Sarah Gerecke
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the U.S. government.

The symposium in this issue of Cityscape shares timely research to inform housing policy and homeownership programs. Policymakers are concerned with the dilemma posed by historically low homeownership rates, on the one hand, and a fear of encouraging irresponsible borrowing and lending on the other. Two of the symposium articles shed light on consumer behavior toward mortgages and consumer credit, providing important insights as public and private policymakers look for new opportunities to help families build assets and modulate spending through the responsible use of credit.