I definitely grew up in a pretty poor home, but not homeless (except for the 6 months 3 of us plus a cat squatted in a shady motel my mom worked at after our home burned down). We definitely would have qualified for social benefits if my mom’s New England Austerity had allowed for it (and later, if her social anxiety/agoraphobia had allowed her to ask). I once naively asked my mom if I had a college fund and after she stopped laughing she said she would have dipped into it to keep the heat and electricity on in February if I had. I think I’m middle class now, but, like the article says, don’t we all?