Citing the rising cost of a college education, the shrinking pool of middle-class jobs, and the declining government safety net, Kristin Seefeldt says low-income families in Michigan face a variety of barriers to upward mobility. Discussing the low-income families in her recent study, Seefeldt says: “Unlike some popular misconceptions that are out there, these were folks that were trying their best to get ahead, but no matter what happened there were roadblocks.”