Perhaps not home ownership - but in many (most?) parts of this country a reliable vehicle is an absolute requirement for holding down a job. A bankrupt person, if anything, is in greatest need of a trustworthy car, and is also the most likely to require a loan to do so.

There's also the notion of rent - people who've always had good credit don't really know how different renting is like for people who have bad credit. I came to this country a few years ago with zero US credit rating, and even with a high salary, offer letters, etc, had one hell of a time finding a place to live. Many landlords simply will not consider you, while others charge exorbitant deposits to cover the risk.

The recently bankrupt are also the least able to afford a security deposit several times higher than what everyone else pays.

The reality of credit in the US is that your life gets exponentially harder as your credit worsens, and the difficulty in turning that ship around increases dramatically. People who've never had to suffer from bad/no credit really need to examine this before clucking judgmentally.