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For many low-income households, the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t have occurred at any worse time. Many individuals and families live day to day with a single paycheck. Not only has this illness led to a large reduction of available work hours, but many workers with low-paying, minimum wage jobs have had to file for unemployment due to temporary loss of work. It is not a much better situation for the low-income essential workers (mostly in restaurants and grocery stores) because even in the current dangerous climate, they are forced to go to work for simple survival. The impact of COVID-19 has been two-fold for many low-income Americans; the health and economic implications of the illness have had very negative consequences.
Healthwise, the effects are very obvious and saddening; in the poorest neighborhoods, where median household income is less than $35,000, the COVID-19 infection rate is twice as high as in the nation’s wealthiest ZIP codes, with income more than $75,000 (Wilson). One likely reason for this occurrence is because of the lack of healthcare access available to many impoverished communities. Not only is there a lack of health care services directly in these neighborhoods, but many of these poor residents do not have the proper statuses and insurance to seek medical assistance when needed. More specifically, many public housing tenants and other low-income residents struggle to afford hospital costs and some don’t even visit these facilities when necessary due to fears over their immigration status (Anuta). Many of these families put themselves at further risk during this pandemic because even when they feel the symptoms of COVID-19, they avoid hospital service because of the costs they believe are behind the care.
On the economical side, this strain of Coronavirus has arguably had the same turmoil. The unemployment rate has reached a striking 14.7%, which hasn’t been this high since the Great Depression-era (Gregg et. al). Although this job loss is believed to be temporary, the majority of those affected were already the most vulnerable in the job market. As low-income Americans compete to get through the system to receive unemployment benefits, many families struggle to put food on the table and pay household bills like rent and mortgage. In New York City, tenants and landlords continue to battle over the payment of rent, with certain landlords wanting to increase the rent during the pandemic, while renters demand a freeze in payments (Spivack). Although in New York, tenants have the support of Governor Cuomo, protests still appear to be at a standstill. Likewise, in many other urban areas, there has not been any policy passed to halt renters' payments, so low-income individuals must find a way to compensate. For a few, they are evicted and must find housing when it is already so dangerous to leave the home.
Ultimately, low-income households are suffering from COVID-19 in a multitude of ways that most Americans don’t realize. Although local organizations have found ways to help these individuals, like through food banks and finding ways to assist with rents, these families are struggling now more than ever to live safe and healthy. We must remember that whether we realize it or not, low-income Americans provide so many essential services to others. Therefore, we must return the favor to them and ensure they can survive and access proper health care during this pandemic.
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