UNITED WAY BLOG
LINDSAY TORRICO, MARCH 27 2020
Like you, we are hearing from people all across this country that they are hurting.
From workers that are being laid off to parents that are trying to manage with children at home, the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having is widespread and heartwrenching. Over the last few weeks, United Ways have been lifting up these stories and fighting for economic relief for every person in every community.
Fortunately, Congress recently passed a $2 trillion emergency relief package, which seeks to help millions of Americans survive this economic and health crisis.
It’s good news for our country and the communities we serve.
Here are the top six things you need to know about what’s in the stimulus:
- It provides cash support to 125 million people. Congress will send payments of $1,200 to individuals earning up to $75,000 or married couples earning under $150,000.Check out this stimulus check calculator to find out how much you’ll receive.
- It increases funding for food and shelter programs. It provides an additional $200 million in funding for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to respond to urgent community needs for food, shelter and utilities services and ensures that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can accommodate new individuals and families in need of temporary food support.
- It helps children receive meals outside of the classroom. It provides additional funding for child nutrition programs so that children can access meals when school is not in session.
- It gives relief to small businesses. It includes $350 billion in loans for companies with 500 employees or fewer, including nonprofits, hotel and restaurant chains, and childcare providers. It also provides $10 billion in grants up to $10,000 for small businesses to cover operating costs.
- It extends emergency unemployment insurance. It includes an extra 13 weeks of coverage and covers part-time, self-employed and gig economy workers. It also provides an increase in the weekly benefit of up to $600.
- It encourages charitable giving to local solutions. The bill includes a temporary “above the line” or universal charitable deduction to enable all Americans to give up to $300 to charities, tax-free, through the end of 2020. We will continue to push for additional relief to charities on the frontlines in the weeks to come.
While this legislation is a critical step in the right direction, the fight is not finished. We still have a ways to go to save millions of individuals and families from economic collapse.
