News for North Texas
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KERA's One Crisis Away project focuses on North Texans living on the financial edge.

'I Don't Have Any Security:' Meet Four North Texas Families On The Financial Edge

Dane Walters
/
KERA News
The Dory family of White Settlement has learned to be frugal and rely on their faith to get them through tough times.

One in three North Texans can’t weather a financial storm that lasts 90 days. The problem's known as asset poverty, and it doesn't discriminate. A job loss, health emergency, even legal trouble is enough to plunge a third of our friends and neighbors into financial distress. 

KERA's series One Crisis Awayis following four North Texas families on the financial edge. A health crisis sent the Madrid family of Rockwall into a financial crisis. Shirley Martin of DeSoto is a retiree who's struggling to make ends meet. Natalie Berquist of Lewisville is a single mom who faced homelessness after losing a job. And despite being frugal, the Dory family of White Settlement struggles with credit card debt.

Meet these families and explore their stories in our KERA News Digital Storytelling Project.

The ongoing series includes radio stories, videos, blogging, and conversations on ThinkIn addition, KERA and Communities Foundation of Texas will present One Crisis Away, a free public forum discussing asset poverty in North Texas, at Dallas City Performance Hall on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. RSVP by Feb. 25. Learn more here.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.