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"We live from check to check." The end of unemployment benefits looms over the abyss for millions of people

2021-09-06T17:01:42.424Z


"Most likely it will ruin my credit because, when it comes to choosing between buying food or paying for a card, I prefer to feed my son," says one affected. "In 31 days I will be homeless," laments another.


By Ben Popken - NBC News

The federal unemployment benefits program approved by the economic crisis derived from the coronavirus pandemic ends this Monday, and millions of people wonder how they will be able to support their families.

Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, estimates that 2.1 million unemployed will lose the federal supplement of $ 300 a week, affecting more than 7.5 million people. 

Since the start of the pandemic,

the government has spent nearly $ 800 billion on unemployment assistance programs

that were conceived as short-term measures to support households and keep the economy going.

While Biden insists the country is on the right track, many economists are concerned

Sept.

3, 202101: 26

[Unemployment fell slightly in August to 5.2% and hiring stopped abruptly due to the delta variant]

Among the programs now ending are Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which was activated after regular state unemployment benefits expired, and

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which was awarded to self-employed workers

who were not normally eligible. for benefits.

But COVID-19 has more patience than Washington, which appears to have little interest in spreading the benefits even though the delta variant is expanding rapidly and has caused spikes in infections and deaths.

In the early summer, NBC News spoke with several families as more than two dozen states began to exit the federal benefits program.

These people desperately described their circumstances.

Months later, their cases offer a glimpse of what awaits those who run out of aid.

Although the labor market shows signs of recovery, Latinos are still the most unemployed

Aug. 6, 202100: 51

[Unemployment benefits will end soon.

But these pandemic relief programs could help you]

Despite the labor shortage, they applied for jobs and did not get them.

They accepted the risks of working on the front lines of COVID-19 to make money.

They took lower-paying jobs in industries related to their trades.

They helped, free of charge, in family businesses.

They requested community assistance to pay for public services and avoid being evicted.

Sherry Pratt, 47, a marketing sales representative in New Hampshire, has a daughter with special needs and is unemployed.

Like many, he struggled to find a job that paid him enough to cover childcare while he worked.

But she decided to reinvent herself during the crisis and began taking care of other children at home.

“I can still be flexible and be home with my daughter when she comes back from school.

I can also take care of my 11-month-old granddaughter so that my oldest daughter can continue working, ”said Pratt.

Thousands of families could be left on the streets after the expiration of the eviction moratorium

July 30, 202102: 20

[The Biden Administration will not extend unemployment benefits beyond September]

He does not make a lot of money, but he manages to stay: "

I

am not

reaching what I used to earn before COVID,

but I am doing what I can."

Business and political leaders analyzing

the numbers of the 8.4 million unemployed and the more than 10 million job vacancies that exist

have predicted a flood of applicants when benefits end.

But the data tells a different story.

Of every eight workers who lost benefits, only one found a job,

according to recent research.

The main reasons the unemployed do not take jobs have little to do with government aid and are more related to the economic and health crisis:

the shortage and cost of child care, the fear of contracting or spreading COVID-19

and the risks of caring for someone with the virus or getting sick themselves, according to the latest census survey.

Of every eight workers who lost benefits in states where aid programs have already ended, only one found a job, according to recent research.

[Job offers skyrocket in some sectors: how to make a career change?]

A JPMorgan Chase study shows that the immediate result of the end of benefits is not rushing to work, but a sharp decrease in family spending.

"The average person can't find a job right away, so they have to cut back,"

said Till von Wachter, an economics professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The main problem is that the funds were established with a deadline that was determined by politicians and cannot be adjusted, even if economic conditions do not improve or worsen, he said.

"We wouldn't be in this mess if we had a functional extended benefits system that responded to local conditions," Von Wachter said.

Tax refund if you received unemployment benefits, how do I know if I am eligible?

July 15, 202101: 38

[We earn more but we are poorer: strong inflation neutralizes wage rises]

Jordan Motteler, 30, of Oklahoma City, has not worked since she and her husband were laid off in March 2020. She wants to work, but cannot take risks because she and her daughter are immunosuppressed.

Her husband, who was fired from Lowe's, has started looking for work as a plumber's apprentice.

But the hours and wages are lower than at his previous job.

The family is applying to a local community organization for assistance to pay rent

and utilities.

“Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck in the hope that we have enough to cover everything our children need, it is not even enough for us,” Motteler said.

The families NBC News spoke to over the summer have not had to move, nor have they been left homeless.

But they face increased food and housing insecurity, and have not been able to return to the workforce quickly.

More than 4 million people will stop receiving federal unemployment assistance

June 20, 202101: 51

[Texas Governor Greg Abbott Announces End of Federal Unemployment Benefits Due to COVID-19 Pandemic]

"What needs to happen is that people find work," said Andrew Stettner, a member of the Century Foundation.

But the United States has not returned to the normality that we expected.

There are some programs, such as food stamps and the child tax credit, that can prevent people from becoming destitute.

However, many people are in danger, ”he added.

In some cases, those with fixed occupations earn a very low salary.

Fouzia Coopman, 52, was the general manager of a restaurant in Honolulu, earning more than $ 70,000 a year before being fired.

"I was looking for work every day and finally got a job offer at a hotel front desk for $ 16 an hour," he said.

After paying the rent, she has just over 600 a month left

to pay her other bills and groceries.

Unemployment Assistance Claims Rise for Second Week in a Row

April 8, 202100: 36

[Employment grows much less than expected in April: a record improvement was expected but the unemployment rate rose slightly]

Unemployed families now facing the end of federal benefits fear for the future as the delta variant expands.

Those who have credit cards plan to use them and will not make payments until they can find another option.

“Most likely, it will ruin the credit that I have managed to build over the last eight years because

when it comes to choosing between buying food, or paying a credit card, I prefer to feed my son,

” said Sarah Taylor, 49, Single mother of a seven-year-old boy who lost her job as a dental assistant due to the pandemic.

Others say they feel on the edge of the abyss.

"COVID-19 took away my marriage, my daughter, my career, and my hopes,"

said Scott Palmer, a 53-year-old man from Virginia who lost his job as an events manager for a large catering company when the pandemic hit. and now faces the termination of federal benefits.

He lost his wife to coronavirus and his daughter to cancer.

"In 31 days I will be homeless," Palmer said.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-09-06

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