Survey: More Families Struggling Now Than In March and April

ParentsTogether, a national parent-led organization with over 2 million members, has released the results of a survey of over 1,500 parents around the country highlighting the impact the coronavirus crisis is having on families and kids. The survey found that, as CARES Act funding ends this month, more families say they are struggling now than in March and April, and are worried about losing their homes to evictions and their ability to afford basic necessities like food and shelter. Half of people who lost income did so not because their place of work closed or hours were cut, but because they were sick, had to care for kids, or were worried about infecting themselves or someone else.

“When families struggle, kids pay the price and right now, families are drowning—and the reopenings haven’t helped,” said Justin Ruben, Co-Director of ParentsTogether. “Unless Congress acts immediately, things will only get worse as the extra unemployment checks stop, and evictions start. To protect kids, Congress needs to provide ongoing economic relief, a pause in evictions, and solutions to the child care crisis.”

Some of the toplines from the survey include:

Financial Impact

● 70% say their “family is struggling,” up from 58% in March and 61% in April.

● Of those who believe they should be eligible for unemployment, 60% have not received any payments.

● 45% of families are worried (either “somewhat” or “very concerned”) about losing their home if evictions start up again.

• Only 56% were able to pay their rent/mortgage without cutting back on other essentials like food and medicine, vs. 59% in April.

Child Care

• Of parents with kids under 5, dependent care (child care) is the biggest reason people lost income. 44% of parents who lost income said this was the reason.

Reopenings

• Half of people who lost income did so not because their place of work closed or hours were cut, but because they were sick, had to care for kids, or were worried about infecting themselves or someone else.

SEE THE SURVEY RESULTS HERE: https://parentstogetheraction.org/2020/07/14/new-parentstogether-survey-finds-more-families-struggling-now-than-in-march-and-april/

Below a sampling of testimonials from respondents:

I was barely able to pay rent for June, but I had to sacrifice everything else -- our water, electric, internet, car payments are all behind. We have no money for groceries, thankfully we have WIC so I have been able to feed my son. I know that I will not be able to pay July's rent and will most likely be evicted if I can't find a way to pay it. Even if I can I will have to let everything else fall even further behind.

Shelby, CO

I am alternating paying all my bills, it just depends on what I have in the bank for that month. A few bills I have had to skip longer than a month or two, such as water and garbage bills and I have been able to get some more time, but it only puts me further behind. I need to be able to go back to work full time and get some overtime to catch up completely.

Lisa, OR

I'm having to decide whether or not to buy food for my family or pay the rent and have a place for my family to live.

Holley, MS

[I] stopped paying all credit cards, had to choose between credit card payments or food/electricity. I have vulnerable family members and cannot return to work until COVID-19 cases drop, our local hospital is currently at 100% capacity. I have no health insurance and am scared to death of catching this virus, with underlying health conditions it could be lethal.

Kristen, TX

We have had to postpone my daughter's education. She was scheduled to start school online, but the added expenses of moving my office to my home and preparations for a quarantining lifestyle used up her tuition. We have also found ourselves trying to find ways to get access to the internet without paying a deposit for a full hook up. It has gotten expensive.

Elva, MT

We have been very blessed during the past few months to be able to work from home and get paid full wages. However I teach and our school is reopening starting July 6th and so I can only work two days a week instead of 5 because of lack of childcare. So we will now start to feel the impact in the upcoming months.

Nika, CA

Have to "skip" making utility payments every other month to have enough money to buy basic food items just to be able to eat one meal a day.

Kim, WV

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About ParentsTogether Action

ParentsTogether Action is a national, parent-led organization with over 2 million community members from coast to coast working together to build a world where every child and family can thrive. Our membership is socio-economically and racially diverse, and includes parents from every state.