NEW YORK (AP) - Last Christmas, Shanita Matthews cooked up a feast for her family of three: rotisserie chicken, barbecue ribs, spinach, mac and cheese.
This year?
They will eat tuna with crackers,
some of the few items you can afford at the grocery store
.
"We won't really have Christmas, I guess you can put it that way," said Matthews, who lives in Suwanee, Georgia.
"We have difficulties. We are tired and all I have is my faith," he added.
Like nearly 10 million Americans
, Matthews has been unemployed since the viral pandemic swept through the US economy
in March, causing a devastating recession and widespread unemployment.
Unemployment assistance claims rise to 885,000
Dec. 18, 202000: 22
Now, many months later, they are faced with a holiday season that they could hardly have foreseen a year ago:
too little money to buy gifts, cook big holiday meals or pay all their bills
.
Nearly eight million people have sunk into poverty since June after spending the $ 1,200 checks that the government issued to most Americans in the spring.
A supplemental unemployment benefit of $ 600 a week expired in July
, according to research by Bruce Meyer at the University of Chicago and two other colleagues.
And finding a job is even more difficult: Hiring in November slowed for the fifth month in a row, and American employers added the fewest jobs since April.
[The federal government reported incorrect unemployment data and paid less aid than it should to workers]
In principle, there may be some relief on the way.
This week, Congress approved a $ 900 billion pandemic rescue package that includes an unemployment benefit of $ 300 a week,
cash payments of up to $ 600 for most people,
and a program renewal. unemployment benefits that are about to expire.
However, on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump called the much-needed federal aid bill "a disgrace" and suggested he would not make it law.
Help, meanwhile, cannot come soon enough for Matthews.
With your bank balance now negative, you are concerned that your account may be closed if you do not receive financial help soon.
Matthews, 41, has been struggling with her finances since she
had to close her wedding business in March
, when ceremonies were canceled and any demand for centerpieces and flower arrangements suddenly evaporated.
Millions of families at risk of being evicted by losing their jobs and not being able to pay their rent
Dec. 18, 202001: 48
The Georgia Department of Labor denied Matthews unemployment assistance.
She does not understand why and is appealing the decision.
But the process is so slow that he has waited months just to get an audience.
Despite being a registered nurse,
Matthews has not been able to get a job
.
She can only work late into the night because she often needs to help her 6-year-old daughter, who must do virtual learning at home when virus cases spike in her school.
Matthews' car was repossessed after she was unable to keep up with the payments.
Most of what her husband earns goes toward a $ 1,600 mortgage on their house.
That leaves them with about $ 200 a month for groceries, utilities and a $ 50 internet bill, a necessity for their daughter's school work.