Rent is due tomorrow and millions of families can’t afford to pay. Congress hasn’t provided meaningful rental assistance in any of the last 4 emergency spending bills. Some have suggested that unemployment insurance is enough. It’s not. Here’s why.
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A survey from @EconomicPolicy found that for every 10 people who were able to successfully file for unemployment in March and April, 3-4 people tried and failed to claim their UI benefits. epi.org/blog/unemploym…
The survey also showed that for every 10 successful claimants, two additional people chose not to file for UI because it was “too difficult” to do so.
Researchers estimate that approximately half of all people who qualify for UI benefits aren’t receiving benefits and that between 8.9 and 13.9 million people have been “shut out” of the UI system.
Many states have major delays in processing UI applications due to understaffing and outdated technology causing glitches and overwhelming the system. In some states (NJ), people have been waiting for as long as 6 weeks for UI benefits.
New Jersey, Georgia, New York, Oregon report that outdated computer systems have led to massive delays in processing UI claims. kgw.com/article/news/h…
Website portals in NY and MD have “collapsed” due to overwhelming demand. cnbc.com/2020/04/21/new…
California UI applicants have experienced sudden call disconnects, frozen web portals, and error messages. latimes.com/california/sto…
In NY, there are still 400,000 UI claims waiting to be processed as of April 28. wgrz.com/mobile/article…
WA and Hawaii have been having trouble processing UI claims; as a result, some UI recipients are receiving their normal UI money but still waiting on the extra $600 provided through the Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) program. msn.com/en-us/money/ma…
In NC, a “complicated and delayed” filing process has barred self-employed and “gig” workers from filing for UI until April 25.
In FL, more than 800,000 people have filed for UI. As of April 28, over 260,000 applicants (40% of applicants) were told they were not eligible for UI but were not given a reason why. news4jax.com/news/local/202…
In NJ, 1m+ people filed for UI, causing backlog in the state’s system. Many are still waiting to receive their money (in some cases, claimants have been waiting as long as six weeks to receive their UI). abc7ny.com/coronavirus-nj…
PUC benefits in WI will start to be distributed “sometime this week” after being delayed. cbs58.com/news/extra-600…
180,000 MI residents who have applied for UI are still waiting on their claim to be processed. wzzm13.com/mobile/article…
Prior to COVID-19, 10m very-low (VLI) and extremely-low income (ELI) families paid over half their income on rent. They were one financial emergency away from eviction. For many of them, coronavirus IS that financial emergency.
1.5m+ will become VLI/ELI. UI isn’t enough to keep people stably housed during the pandemic.
30m+ people have lost their jobs, UI isn’t enough, and rent is due tomorrow.
Congress must provide $100B in rental assistance to avoid a rash of evictions & a spike in homelessness.
nlihc.org/sites/default/…
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Congress must provide $100B in rental assistance to avoid a rash of evictions & a spike in homelessness.
nlihc.org/sites/default/…
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.@RepMaxineWaters @SenSherrodBrown @RepDennyHeck have a plan to provide $100B in rental assistance. Like Chairwoman Waters, we’re ready to fight for it.
