As Maine families struggle to recover from the pandemic’s economic fallout, advocates for children and families say quick passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is critical. According to a recent Census Household Pulse survey, nearly half of Maine adults were in households which lost earnings since the pandemic hit, and losses were higher in households with children. Stephanie Eglinton, executive director for the Maine Children’s Alliance, said Mainers need the stimulus package, passed by the House, and now being debated in the Senate.
Archives: Voices
Biden Administration to allow some immigrant families to reunite in the U.S.
Human-rights advocates are applauding a new Biden administration policy to allow children who remain in U.S. custody after being separated from their parents at the border to reunite with them in the U.S. or in their country of origin. Under President Donald Trump, parents were deported without their children, and hundreds of kids remain in U.S. care. Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs, said the separations harmed children and amounted to a shocking moral failure.
Tax credits forever changed my family’s life
In 2009, I was enrolled in college, but my financial aid fell through. I suddenly owed the school just under $5,000. I was barely making it already and had to drop out. In the spring of 2012, my son was born. As a new parent I was full of joy and excitement. There was also the constant anxiety thinking about what I could do to provide a better life for my child. How was I supposed to tell him how important education is and that he can follow his dreams when I wasn’t able to do that for myself? Tax time the following year I received credits that would forever change my family’s life.
COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship February 26, 2021
The 500,000/50 million edition. This week, the U.S. eclipsed the 500,000 mark for COVID-19 deaths. More Americans have died from COVID-19 than in combat during all of America’s wars against foreign enemies. On a brighter note, we are about to surpass 50 million vaccinations administered. Shots don’t hurt, much, but the pain to our economy is acute. According to The Century Foundation, some 19 million Americans – nearly 1 in every 8 workers – are currently collecting unemployment benefits, and that doesn’t even include many more who are out of the labor force and/or not collecting benefits for a variety of reasons
Reflections on Black History Month: Jamaica Brickhouse
I am not a stranger to adversity. I grew up as the oldest of five children in a single-parent household. Through each phase of my life, I have experienced some type of homelessness and poverty knowingly or unknowingly. Like most people in my community, I have quietly dealt with the effects of systemic racism and oppression, whether I was seeking employment, housing, or in the criminal justice system. For a long time, I did not know how to help myself and others on a larger, more impactful scale.
COVID-19’s byproduct: A burgeoning increase in violent crime
During the first weeks of widespread lockdowns in March 2020, one of the most immediate effects of social distancing was a marked decrease in crime. But as the pandemic continues to restrict our ability to safely coordinate and gather in person, the picture of crime in America has grown more complicated. In recent months, an increase in violent crime has been noted by criminologists. Experts have pointed to disruptions in economic and social assistance as the underlying factor among these trends.
Biden stimulus bill called key to preventing Virginia eviction crisis
With the economy stalling and millions of Americans still out of work because of the pandemic, Virginia housing advocates are urging Congress to quickly pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package to bring relief to families being pushed into poverty. Brian Koziol, executive director for the Virginia Housing Alliance, said even before the pandemic, Richmond had the second highest eviction rate in the country, with four other Virginia cities in the top ten.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship February 19, 2021
The economy won’t fix itself edition. At first glance, reasons for optimism abound. New COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths all are down sharply. This week’s wintry weather caused a hiccup in vaccine distribution, but 12.7 percent of all Americans – 42.3 million and counting – have now received at least the first vaccine. After January, the pandemic’s deadliest month, It is now possible to believe the worst is behind us. But several new studies out this week show how much we have suffered and how far we have yet to go in order to restore our economy and address racial inequity.
Why – more than ever – we need a ‘Marshall Plan for Moms’
Here is a labor statistic that might strike you as rather odd if not incredible: 45 million women in the U.S. report to work every day and night and receive no pay. That’s the number of moms raising kids in the U.S. Although many of course work outside the home (and yes, get paid for it!) a growing number have been grounded by the pandemic as the ranks of women in the U.S. labor force increasingly face evisceration.
How can we make COVID-19 vaccine distribution more equitable?
Since last summer, the hope of a vaccine has been a key factor in the fight against COVID-19. Now that multiple companies’ versions have been approved as safe and effective, the next fight is the question of how to get the vaccine out and available to everyone. The equitable distribution of vaccines is a top political and health priority, but even with widespread support this goal is easier said than done.
CHN’s latest Human Needs Report: Progress on COVID-19 relief, executive actions, and more
CHN just released another edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on Congress’s work on a COVID-19 relief package, President Biden’s executive actions, and more.
CHN Webinar: Register now. The next COVID relief bill: Top Biden official explains why it’s important and what you can do
At 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 18, CHN will host a webinar, “The next COVID relief bill: Top Biden official explains why it’s important and what you can do.” Register for this Zoom webinar here.