ISSUE 79| September 28, 2020

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From Around the Region and the State Economic and Policy News

United Way of PA releases results of COVID-19 impact survey The United Way of Pennsylvania has published the results of a survey about the pandemic’s impact on commonwealth residents. The results show that possibility of household members contracting the coronavirus is a primary concern for most Pennsylvanians, but families are also worried about paying bills, avoiding eviction, and food insecurity. Click here to read the full article PA providers fear huge budget cuts could hurt people with mental illness, disabilities most In 2012, Pennsylvania cut $84 million of funding that would have been used to assist people with intellectual disabilities and mental health challenges. These cuts resulted from the Great Recession and a resulting state budget deficit. Amid the current crisis and even larger shortfall, officials and service providers are concerned about the possibility of similar cuts to social service programs. Click here to read the full article Luzerne County small businesses and nonprofits can apply for $11 million in grants Luzerne County is launching a grant program to distribute $11 million from the federal CARES Act to local businesses and nonprofit organizations that have been affected by the pandemic. The grants are intended to support business and agency operations while the region recovers. Click here to read the full article

From Around the Nation and the Globe Economic and Policy News

Eviction filings plummet under second federal moratorium According to data from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, there has been a sharp decline in eviction filings in the weeks following the CDC’s new eviction moratorium. Without rental assistance for tenants and landlords, however, this moratorium may be an incomplete solution. An analysis by the Aspen Institute found that up to 40 million Americans (one in five renters) may be at risk of eviction when the moratorium ends in January. Click here to read the full article Uninsured rate rose in 2019, Income and poverty data overtaken by pandemic recession Data from the Census Bureau shows that median household income increased and poverty declined in 2019, while the number of uninsured Americans increased for the third year in a row. The change in the uninsured rate was driven primarily by a large drop in public health coverage among Hispanic individuals.   Click here to read the full article New charts explore cycle of homelessness and incarceration—and how to break it People experiencing homelessness are likelier than those with stable housing to become involved in the justice system, and people who have been involved in the justice system are likelier to experience homelessness due to job and housing discrimination. The Urban Institute has published an article explaining this cycle and describing how communities may leverage a Housing First approach – with changes to law enforcement practices – to interrupt it.  Click here to read the full article

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