Across Mississippi, more than 41 percent of all renters are cost-burdened, defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as paying more than 30 percent of household income toward housing costs and, as a result, having “difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.” More than one out of every five renter households in Mississippi is extremely cost-burdened, defined as paying more than 50 percent of household income toward housing costs.
Hallet DeMouy, Dr. Becky Marchiel and Dr. James M. Thomas
Hallet DeMouy is an undergraduate student at the University of Mississippi pursuing a B.A. degree in Sociology with minors in chemistry and biology. She is currently completing her thesis research, “Examining Construction and Reproduction of the Educational Opportunity Gap: The Nation’s School Board Members Respond,” for submission to the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Becky Marchiel is an assistant professor of history at the University of Mississippi. She is the author of “After Redlining: The Urban Reinvestment Movement in the Era of Financial Deregulation” and is currently researching the historical origins of affordable housing programs in the United States. James M. Thomas (JT) is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Mississippi and director of the Housing Insecurity Lab, an experiential learning course for advanced undergraduate students supported by the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. JT is the author of four books and more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other essays on the causes and consequences of racism in America and abroad. JT can be reached at jmthoma4@olemiss.edu, or on Twitter at @Insurgent_Prof.