Housing Secretary Unveils Stimulus Grants Aimed To Cut Homelessness
The $5 billion in new funding will help with rental assistance, affordable housing and other programs. In other economic news tied to the pandemic, jobless claims were up this week, and some consumers are having trouble getting federal help on their COBRA premiums.
The Washington Post:
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge Details How Biden Stimulus Bill Will Target Homelessness
Housing Secretary Marcia L. Fudge on Thursday unveiled nearly $5 billion in new grants to states and local governments across the country for rental assistance, the development of affordable housing and other services to help people experiencing or on the verge of homelessness. The infusion of money to reduce homelessness, part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that President Biden signed last month, is the latest example of how the administration is using the American Rescue Plan to enact a sweeping anti-poverty agenda amid the pandemic. (Jan, 4/8)
In related news about covid's economic toll —
AP:
US Jobless Claims Up To 744K As Virus Still Forces Layoffs
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications increased by 16,000 from 728,000 a week earlier. Jobless claims have declined sharply since the virus slammed into the economy in March of last year. But they remain stubbornly high by historical standards: Before the pandemic erupted, weekly applications typically remained below 220,000 a week. (Wiseman, 4/8)
CNBC:
Snags In Free COBRA Insurance May Leave Unemployed Footing Big Bills
Linda, a lawyer from California who was laid off from her job in January, is like millions of others in the Covid pandemic who are living without health insurance. But she discovered that the government would fully subsidize her COBRA health insurance premiums from April until September, thanks to a provision in the latest stimulus package. ... But when Linda emailed her previous insurer in April asking if she was free to go to the doctor for treatment of her infection, she was surprised to be told that the government subsidy isn’t available yet. ″[F]orms and processes have not yet been provided nor finalized by the IRS or DOL,” she was told, according to the email seen by CNBC. “Until notified otherwise, we must operate as ‘business as usual.’” (Nova, 4/8)
CIDRAP:
Report Spotlights Inequalities In COVID-Related Restrictions
COVID-related mobility restrictions such as stay-at-home orders had disproportionate burdens on women, minorities, and lower-income populations, according to a study yesterday in JAMA Network Open. ... Individuals with low household incomes had the highest risk of all six adverse outcomes, which included inaccessible medical care or defaulting on a monthly rent/home mortgage payment. (4/8)
The New York Times:
A Novel Effort To See How Poverty Affects Young Brains
New monthly payments in the pandemic relief package have the potential to lift millions of American children out of poverty. Some scientists believe the payments could change children’s lives even more fundamentally — via their brains. It’s well established that growing up in poverty correlates with disparities in educational achievement, health and employment. But an emerging branch of neuroscience asks how poverty affects the developing brain. (Katsnelson, 4/7)
