I am a child of the FDR initiatives (my Dad, an engineer who graduated from the University of Maryland, went to Alabama to help build Wilson Dam, a TVA project.) That's where he met my mother, and that's why I'm here.
A few years prior to that, during the worst of the Great Depression, my grandfather died---he had been a wealthy wholesale grocer, but every dime he had went to feed his friends and customers who were, well, broke.
My grandmother had no college degree or any other skill that could earn money in Alabama at that time. But she DID have a great big house and she rented out every room she could That kept her going.
.
My father and mother (and eventually me) lived in one of her bedrooms. It worked out real well, since we helped with expenses and I got to spend most of my childhood with my grandmother, learning how to cook all kinds of Alabama goodies.
Also, I had the wonderful experience of getting to know all of my grandmother's roomers---two schoolteachers, a minister, a secretary and (be still my heart) the high school football coach. All of them taught me so much. (I guess in these days it's important to add that the coach was not a pedophile but a nice guy who taught me how to throw a football.)
During those years, it never occurred to me that we were having money problems. It was just a whole bunch of people, happy to be together, and all of us contributing what we could.
I can honestly say that the happiest years of my life were spent during the last part of the Great Depression.
I guess my message in this post is---while we all dread what is to come, we should keep in mind that people tend to bond and help each other during really bad times. They share houses, food and in many cases several generations are under the same roof which is often a good thing.
No doubt things are going to get bad, but many of us who think we are left with nothing will hopefully find wonderful connections with others, something that money can't buy.