- Even as one of the worst financial downturns in U.S. history rages on, Congress has failed to reach a deal on a relief package.
- The delay in additional unemployment benefits, stimulus checks and eviction protections could have lasting impacts on tens of millions of Americans who without aid can’t cover their rent or food bills.
Shenerah Nelson used to pay her rent with the money she made driving for Uber and Lyft, but when the pandemic struck, her rides dried up. The single mother of two scrambled to land another job.
The positions she found were low-paying or part-time, but she was desperate, and so she started working at a call center, earning $11 an hour.
“I’m not happy with the job,” Nelson, 30, said. “But I have kids that depend on me.”
Her income dropped in half from before the public health crisis. “It’s made it difficult because I still have the same expenses,” Nelson said.
The expanded federal unemployment benefit Congress passed in March helped her stay afloat, but those checks stopped coming last month. She’s fallen behind on her $1,200 rent in Miami.
www.cnbc.com/2020/08/14/with-no-stimulus-deal-millions-of-americans-are-desperate-for-relief.html