Navigating Compounded Hardships in a Pandemic

The realities of food insecurity

Hunger and food insecurity are at historic highs, especially since the pandemic hit—and particularly in marginalized communities, even among children. In July 2020, one in five adults living with children reported their child wasn’t eating enough because they couldn’t afford the food. State and local agency call centers were overwhelmed, with people in some states reporting days spent on hold, countless error messages, and benefits that arrived months after qualification, if at all.

The impact of destabilizing events

The COVID-19 pandemic is just one example of a destabilizing event; many forms of adversity and emergency push people to need assistance. About a fifth of families do not have any savings (meaning a positive net worth). Setbacks that happen to millions of people—such as losing a job, an apartment or a partner—have worse consequences for people who don’t have a safety net.

Compounded hardship

Existing U.S. programs only address individual aspects of need, such as hunger or lack of shelter—but destabilizing events,  like divorce and housing insecurity, often go together. The social safety net is not set up to address compounded hardship, meaning it may meet one need, like food, but not others, like housing and childcare.

The importance of destigmatizing need

There’s a stigma around applying for food assistance. Amid high levels of economic inequality in America, support programs need to give people the benefit of the doubt when they apply for the assistance they need. We need to eliminate barriers in our safety net programs, such as time-consuming and often frustrating application processes—especially since many government agencies already have the information they need to approve someone for benefits from taxes or other government program applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to levels of unemployment last seen during the Great Depression. Between February and May 2020, 14 million Americans lost their jobs, and by March 2021, there were still 5 million fewer people who were employed compared to a year earlier. Out of all GetCalFresh applicants in April 2020 who still had a job, two in three indicated they would earn less in the coming month than in the previous month.

These unemployment patterns look especially grim when considered alongside the large number of people exiting the labor force altogether. The share of people aged 25 to 54 who participate in the labor force saw its biggest drop on record in 2020.

Unemployment and labor force exit not only result in a loss of income, but lead to a number of cascading challenges: principally, losing employment-based health insurance and spending down any accumulated savings. Many Americans have very little in savings, especially people with low or no income. Families in the bottom fifth of income only have $9,300 in median net worth, a measure of wealth, and unexpected expenses can easily prompt a crisis. Car issues, a home repair, unexpected rent hikes and other costs can all upset families’ fragile budgets. And financial stress often coincides with family tension, straining relationships. Though borrowing may be possible, neighborhoods where families with low incomes live are often served by lending institutions with high interest rates that can lead to long-term debt traps. These credit constraints make everything from schooling to finding a new place to live more difficult.

People most exposed to COVID-19—such as service and low-wage workers in restaurants or transportation—often lack adequate health insurance and cannot take sick days or medical leave when needed. Unlike other developed countries, the U.S. does not mandate employers provide paid sick leave. Moreover, job protections are weaker, as at-will employment allows employers to fire people with little notice. And since health care is tied to employment but frequently not available for lower-wage work, one in 10 people below the age of 65 were without health insurance in 2019. Health emergencies contribute to compounded hardship, making tasks such as finding a job more difficult.

As most parents and guardians are well aware, the pandemic forced thousands of elementary, middle and high schools to shut down. Without the teaching and supervision provided at school, families had to spend more time on child and elder care. Families acutely felt similar pressures when caring for a loved one with a disability or illness. Many personal networks of support—health aides, babysitters, and nearby family—were no longer available. These burdens and their impact on participation in the labor force increasingly affects women, who had to scale back their work hours or exit the labor force altogether because of inflexible work arrangements. This issue has expanded as the number of people living in multigenerational households has grown rapidly. Even after the pandemic subsides, accumulated mental and physical care needs will need to be addressed.

Families with children also faced another set of challenges. When schools closed, many school meal programs were suspended. The National School Lunch Program alone usually provides meals to 30 million children per day, and this disruption rapidly resulted in elevated food insecurity. Food insecurity and poor nutrition have long-term effects: new research suggests that children with access to food assistance have more education, live longer, and are less likely to be incarcerated than their food-insecure peers. That’s why Code for America has worked to keep millions of children fed with the implementation of Pandemic EBT and the Child Tax Credit.