We’ve all read news stories about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but It’s hard to fathom the toll of suffering the pandemic has wreaked until you encounter those most affected who are seeking help. In March, in a moment of blessed bipartisanship, Congress passed The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. One element of the CARES Act was to provide funds to local jurisdictions to aid residents impacted by the pandemic. I work for Jefferson County Human Services and my agency decided to use these funds to create a program to provide rent/mortgage, utility, and vehicle loan/insurance assistance to Jeffco residents. My usual work at Human Services is administrative and I do not interact with the public at all, but I ended up volunteering to manage our COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Program. For the first time, I am interacting with clients who are making choices between feeding their families and paying rent. Their stories are best told in their own words.
“I’m a single father of my 8-year-old son. I recently got a job back in mid-October. I’m not making enough because my son’s school keeps shutting down because of COVID. Now they are going to 100% remote learning. I don’t know what I’m going to do, I can’t leave my son alone but if I can’t work I’ll lose my job.”
“My husband was diagnosed with COVID-19 back in April and since then he has been on oxygen and has been suffering from liver, kidney, heart, and stomach issues. He requires 24/7 care so I’m not able to work.”
“My wife, who was our family’s primary source of income, was laid off because of COVID. Her unemployment ($223/week) will run out in two more weeks. We have completely exhausted our savings, and we are totally maxed-out on all our credit cards. Additionally, we lost a home to foreclosure earlier this year. We were blessed to receive a few food boxes from our church.”
“Before Coronavirus, i received family money from Brazil but with the pandemic the
exchange rate doubled, and the money is not available anymore.”
“I had a drastic cut in hours and pay. We’ve been unable to pay the rent for October and November. It
saddens me as a man to barely put food on the table or gas in the car and all the other bills because of the Coronavirus. We just need some help”
“I’m not getting many hours at Target and I’m seeking other employment while going to college full time. In the past 3 months I’ve been tested for COVID and out of work 3 times (over a month out of work). “
“I came up with $400 towards October's rent by donating plasma and pawning items from my house which leaves me with a balance of $975. Now I’m worried about November’s rent. I have worked so hard to make it on my own and have up until now. I don’t like asking for help, but during this rough time I really need help.”
Doing this work has made me even more grateful for the basics of life (food, clothing, shelter) along with a stable job, reliable transportation, and a safety net of family. The Right Reverend Robert Wright, Bishop of Atlanta, said at Colorado’s Diocesan convention recently, “God didn’t create the pandemic, but God can use it.” God is calling us to reach out to others, to dig deeper, to find any way we can to help our neighbor as a response to all God has done for us.
