By Nicole Acevedo - NBC News
Joana Pérez's husband recently returned to the flower shop where he works in Los Angeles after the business closed for almost four months during the coronavirus pandemic.
But his return to work came at a cost.
"He still works the same number of days and hours, but he had to accept a cut in his salary to be able to return to his job," says Pérez, 35, who is seven months pregnant.
Her husband works from 4:00 am to about 2:00 pm, six days a week, "but his salary is not the same" since the flower wholesale business that employs him experienced a significant slowdown as the occurrence of events decreased due to the pandemic.
Pérez, her husband and their six children are among the many Latino families who are having serious financial problems, including wage cuts, depleting their savings and having difficulty paying for food and rent, according to a survey released this month by NPR, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
[These reasons explain why Latinos and blacks are the most exposed to dying from COVID-19]
A large majority of Latino households (72%) said they face serious financial problems due to the pandemic, compared to 60% of African American households and 55% of Native American households.
Asian and white households report facing the same problem at drastically lower rates, 37% and 36% respectively.
34% of new COVID-19 cases in the country are from Latino communities, according to the CDC
June 29, 202002: 00
More than 6 in 10 adults (63%) in Latino households reported job losses, permits, or reductions in their wages and hours of work.
Among Latino households with job or wage loss, nearly 9 out of 10 Latinos (87%) reported serious financial problems.
The most reported financial problem among Latino households is the lack of savings.
Close to half (46%) say they had spent all or most of their savings and an additional 15% say they lacked savings before the coronavirus.
[Joe Biden promises financial aid for Latinos affected by the coronavirus pandemic]
More than a third of Latino households report having difficulty paying their credit card, loan or other debt bills, as well as utilities, mortgages or rent.
"The findings are not what we expected. Actually, they are much worse," said Robert Blendon, director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, during a news conference Wednesday.
"These are very, very large numbers," he added.
More than 50,000 Latinos have died in the US from COVID-19
Aug. 22, 202001: 33
Help is elusive for most families
Blendon said he hoped the survey would shed light on how the billions of dollars in special allocations from the federal and state governments, as well as charitable funds, are finding a way to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the epidemic.
But to his surprise, he found few answers.
With "historic discrimination," Blendon says, "one would have thought that this help, at least we think, would have cushioned the problems faced by these families who are in the highest-risk neighborhoods."
But the survey findings show that a substantial proportion of Latino, Black, and Native American households that are at high risk of becoming ill and dying from COVID-19 have not been protected from financial trouble and "have limited financial resources to resist. long-term economic and health effects of the coronavirus outbreak. "
[The new wave of the coronavirus also mainly punishes Latinos: one in three cases affects Hispanics]
While the pain caused by the pandemic cuts across all races and ethnicities, experts say that Latinos can take a severe economic hit due to persistent income inequality, wealth disparities, and the large number of Latinos employed in US industries. services such as hotels, restaurants and retail stores, many of which have been forced to close.
Latino small businesses report that they have not received federal financial aid due to the pandemic
July 25, 202001: 51
Pérez's husband had returned to work for about six weeks when he became infected with the coronavirus.
He is currently isolated at home while he recovers.
"We just felt like, 'Hey, we're starting to catch up on the bills,'" says Pérez.
"But these two weeks of mandatory quarantine are going to hurt us again," he added.
Millions of Latinos and their families were left out of the assistance packages Congress approved this year because applicants must have a Social Security number.
People who pay taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) or those who live with someone who uses an ITIN to pay federal taxes are also excluded, affecting about 16 million people nationwide. who live in families with mixed immigration status, many of which are Latina.
[Republican and Democratic Congressmen present new $ 1,200 check aid plan and unemployment benefits]
While the Perezes were among the excluded families, the woman said charities intervened to help them pay rent and utilities during the early days of the pandemic.
"Those were all one-time grants," explains Pérez, "we are in the sixth month of this pandemic, so those lifelines were exhausted. During the last two months, there has been none of that anymore."
Applying for government-funded programs, such as food stamps and public health insurance for which the Perezes and their children might be eligible as U.S. citizens, is not an option, as her husband is in the process of applying for citizenship and using these programs could consider it a “public charge”.
[These are the resources and aid available to face the coronavirus pandemic in the United States]
Officials use that term to define someone who, in their opinion, may need public assistance in the future.
With less income, the family does what it can to stretch each paycheck.
Pérez says that she and her husband prioritize food expenses and paying their life insurance every month "because God forbid, something happens to one of us and we need to have that money available for our children."
But if money is tight, they can delay your car insurance payments, as we are "not really moving the car right now" or making minimal payments for utilities or credit card bills.
More than half of Latino families live a crisis away from a financial disaster and would not be able to cover basic expenses for three months in the event of an economic burden, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, a nonprofit organization that focuses on discrimination in loans and housing, and business practices.
Latinos are up to four times more likely to end up hospitalized for COVID-19
June 27, 202002: 39
Nearly 8 in 10 Latinos say Congress should pass another financial aid bill in addition to the $ 2 trillion financial aid package passed in March, according to the Pew Research Center.
UnidosUS, the nation's largest Hispanic advocacy and civil rights organization, recommends that Congress pass the HEROES Act and extend the $ 600 pandemic unemployment assistance.
The organization urges states to "improve their antiquated unemployment insurance systems" to remove the barriers Latino workers face when trying to access benefits.
"I have a lot of kids that I may have to send to college. I have kids with potential, the oldest two are gifted third grade students," says Pérez.
"I know my children have a bright future. But if I am not financially ready to support those life goals they have, then why am I here?"