CHN’s COVID-19: Tracking Hardship September 18, 2020
September 18, 2020
The 200,000 deaths edition. Within days, the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. will surpass 200,000. At some point we have to ask Sen. Mitch McConnell and his obstinate band of Republican cohorts, how many lives is too many? And how long and how deeply must our nation suffer? Unemployed Americans already have lost the $600 weekly UI benefit that expired at the end of July. Now millions of Americans are seeing their state UI paychecks vanish as well, as 26-week time limits expire. A child care crisis is unfolding before our very eyes, as many people cannot go back to work without access to affordable child care. Overburdened state and local governments are cutting programs right and left, even though we need more investment, not less. And still: not a dime from the U.S. Senate. Hunger is skyrocketing – this week we learned that one out of every four children could sink into a dark place of food insecurity by year’s end. Eviction notices continue, despite a CDC moratorium. Hurricanes hammer the homeland; wildfires render people homeless at a time of great peril. Things are so bad that even President Trump has joined House Democrats in demanding relief, telling GOP lawmakers to “go for the much higher numbers.” When will McConnell act? What will it take? Serious negotiations in Washington, D.C. must begin immediately.
6.6 million/ 197,655 |
The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. Tweet this.
|
8.3 million |
How many Americans would be lifted out of poverty through the end of this year if Congress approved an additional $1,200 per person (up to $6,000 per household) of COVID-19 stimulus relief, according to the Tax Policy Center. Tweet this.
|
1 in 4 |
The number of children who could be living in food insecure households by the end of this year, according to Feeding America. Tweet this.
|
24%/20%
|
The percentage of Black households with children and Latinx households with children that “sometimes or often” did not have enough to eat during the previous seven days from when they were surveyed. Tweet this.
|
48% |
Nearly half the households with incomes up to $35K/year were spending half or more of their income on rent in 2019. Once the eviction moratorium expires, these renters will have no way to make up months of back rent without help. In late July, more than one in four (27%) of people in households with incomes under $35K had not paid their previous month’s rent. Tweet this.
|
More than 900 |
Eviction cases filed by corporate landlords in eight metropolitan areas Sept. 2-8, despite the CDC’s Sept. 1 announcement of an eviction moratorium. That compares with 165 such cases filed the week of Aug. 3. Housing advocates warn of a rash of evictions despite the moratorium.
|
1 in 4/1 in 5 |
The number of Black households with children and Latinx households with children who were not able to pay the past month’s rent in July.
|
21 million |
The approximate number of people in the U.S. who lack access to broadband, according to the FCC. In West Virginia, between 30% and 50% of K-12 students do not have broadband, even as some students resume classes online.
|
13.5% |
The increase in Nevada’s Medicaid caseload since the pandemic began. Across the country, Medicaid caseloads are exploding as Americans lose their jobs – and their employer-based health insurance.
|
20,800 |
The number of Black people in the U.S. who would be alive today if Blacks died from COVID-19 at the same rate as whites. The same applies for 10,900 Latinx, 700 Indigenous, and 80 Pacific Islander Americans.
|
Subscribe:
