The Great Recession, the worst financial slump since the Great Depression, settles over the U.S. after the housing market collapses. The fallout is swift and widespread, with unemployment spiking above 9% nationwide and millions of families left on the verge of default. The crisis sinks the poorest Minnesotans even deeper into poverty — Hennepin County reports a 20% increase in the number of homeless families in emergency shelters in 2008 compared to the previous year.

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