Last week, in a blog post headlined, “The national eviction crisis has arrived,” we detailed the sad reality that millions of Americans are now at dire risk of losing their homes. The primary reasons for this are COVID-19, the almost incomprehensible loss of jobs in the U.S., and the failure of Congress to approve comprehensive relief for renters and extend an eviction moratorium on federally backed housing. But the eviction crisis is not just a crisis involving housing and homelessness. Turns out, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) it also constitutes a public health emergency.
Archives: Voices
North Carolina lawmakers fail to bring relief to struggling residents
RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s economy is hurting, yet residents can expect little in the way of federal relief. U.S. Senate lawmakers have recessed without passing a fifth coronavirus relief package, meaning the earliest Americans could expect any form of aid would be mid-September. According to census survey data, nearly half of North Carolina households included someone who had lost employment income between March and the end of July. Lindsay Saunders, board member of the anti-poverty group RESULTS, said elected officials aren’t treating the situation with the urgency it deserves.
National Voter Registration Day: Coming soon and needed more than ever
We want to spread the word about National Voter Registration Day, which this year falls on Tuesday, Sept. 22 – less than four weeks from today. This “holiday” was first recognized in 2012 as a single day of coordinated media and field events to help eligible people get registered or update their registration, ahead of state deadlines. This year, organizers hope to register one million people all on one day. A look at today’s voter registration landscape in the age of COVID-19 reveals why this is so critically important.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship August 27, 2020
More Disaster. Devastation from the record-breaking Hurricane Laura is now being inflicted on Louisiana and Texas. The parish including Lake Charles, Louisiana, now blasted by the storm, has had 3,573 COVID cases per 100,000. Jefferson County, which includes Beaumont, TX, has had 2,611 cases per 100,000. Both are dramatically higher than the 1,755 cases per 100,000 for the total U.S. The Trump Administration, instead of negotiating new COVID relief, unilaterally took $44 billion from FEMA disaster funds to pay $300/week in jobless benefits. Sadly, those funds will be needed, for hurricanes and devastating fires. The failure of the Senate and the Trump Administration to do the needed work on pandemic relief adds man-made, preventable disaster to the natural kind.
The national eviction crisis has arrived
Karin Smith, a 52-year-old resident of Jupiter, Florida, is not someone you would think would be at risk of eviction. Until March, she was earning $96,000 a year as a consultant with the U.S. Department of Education. Then, on March 14, she lost her job and told her landlord that she would have trouble making the monthly $1,650 rent payment. The landlord initially agreed to a payment schedule, she said, but then on April 2 told Karin she would be evicted if she was even a day late.
Hunger persists for Florida families under stalled stimulus package
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There are urgent calls for legislators to act quickly to ensure all Florida families can meet their basic needs during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Census data show about half of Florida’s households include someone who lost income through the pandemic. Trudy Novicki, president and CEO of Florida Impact to End Hunger, says the federal cutback is discouraging as she looks at the growing needs of Floridians. “Needs are going up, SNAP, people applying for food stamps has increased threefold since the pandemic began and it’s not ending,” she states.
Census undercount could cost Arizona jobs, billions in funds
TUCSON, Ariz. — An undercount in the 2020 Census could cost Arizona thousands of jobs, billions of dollars for social programs, and even a seat in Congress. And there’s concern that the Trump administration’s order to end the census count a month early could do just that. Experts said not getting an accurate count would hurt many of the state’s most vulnerable residents. But two out of five Arizonans have not completed their census forms yet, one of the lowest rates in the country.
Sen. Sanders, Rep. Larson call for strengthening Social Security after GAO study examines disability wait times
Americans are dying by the thousands as they wait for a decision on whether they qualify for Social Security disability benefits. That’s the finding of a brand new report issued last week by the General Accountability Office (GAO). The report, which was issued on the eve of Social Security’s 85th birthday, was requested by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT).
Interning in the time of COVID-19
When I applied for an internship with the Coalition on Human Needs in February, I was expecting my experience to be slightly different than what it has been. I knew I wanted to do advocacy and non-profit work and gain experience in the realm of policy. I was eager to work in D.C. and join a network of people advocating for those facing issues that I cared about. Today, I write this from my bedroom in Baltimore, Maryland, working from my laptop at home like I have been since March. COVID-19 has brought upon a situation that I can imagine almost no one was expecting.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship August 13, 2020
Zeroes Edition. This week’s stats show some high numbers – millions more COVID-19 cases, billions of dollars in unemployment benefits now expired for 3 weeks, and 19 million children in households threatened with eviction and hunger – but a lot of zeroes. These convey the likely impact of President Trump’s executive actions, at least in the next couple of months.
West Virginians to bear brunt if Census count deadline isn’t extended
CHARLESTON, W. Va. — With the Trump administration cutting the U.S. census count short by a month, advocates for families say West Virginians will pay the price, unless lawmakers pass a pandemic-relief bill that extends the deadline. In 2016, West Virginia received almost $7 billion based on census results, according to Deborah Weinstein, executive director for the Coalition on Human Needs. She said it’s critical census takers get more time to count; otherwise the state will lose millions of dollars in vital funding over the next ten years.
CHN’s COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship August 6, 2020
How much more will people lose before Trump and McConnell provide help? The House enacted its HEROES bill on May 15. The Senate has not yet acted; its majority caucus is divided. Since the House acted, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has soared from 1.4 million to 4.8 million. We have gained back some of the jobs lost, but are still at least 13 million below the February peak, and now, as weekly unemployment claims have well exceeded 1 million for 20 weeks, job growth sharply slowed in July. About 30 million jobless people are now going without the $600/week extra unemployment compensation, and that is making it much harder for them to pay rent or buy food.