COVID-19 has not turned out to be the “great equalizer” as it was described early on. Some communities have been much more negatively impacted by the pandemic than others, and that rift falls along familiar lines: race, income, sex, and immigration status.

What follows is a brief look at some of the most impacted communities. We are cognizant that grouping people by demographic factors is an unsatisfactory proxy for the vibrant and rich differences to be found amongst communities, families and individuals who have unique experiences and intersectional identities. We also recognize the struggles of different people are unique and we do not intend to compare one to another here.

Black, Latinx and Other People of Color. Black and Latinx communities have been particularly hard hit. Two-thirds of Californians working in a highly impacted industry -- retail, restaurants, personal services, building services-- are people of color. Black and Latinx people are also more likely to have a job deemed essential, such as healthcare workers, janitors, delivery drivers, and public transit operators. A long history of occupational segregation has contributed to this reality. Unable to work from home, they have had increased exposure to the virus as they continue in their daily jobs, often performed without sufficient personal protective equipment.

"this really is about who still has to leave their home to work, who has to leave a crowded apartment, get on crowded transport, and go to a crowded workplace, and we just haven’t acknowledged that those of us who have the privilege of continuing to work from our homes aren’t facing those risks.”

MARY BASSETT, FXB CENTER FOR HEALTH & HUMAN RIGHTS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY

As Latinx and Black populations continue to leave their homes to go to work they are contracting and dying from COVID-19 at greater rates than white communities. For example: 55% of California COVID cases are among Latinx, while they represent 39% of the state population. This is not a genetic glitch or viral preference for certain characteristics, but systemic racism rearing its head in unexpected ways. In addition to greater exposure as a result of their jobs, they also receive different medical treatment. For example, studies show that when Black patients present at the hospital, racial bias shows up through differing treatment which can lead to less optimal care. Additionally, decades of policy that creates racial residential segregation has been conclusively linked to underlying health conditions which can make people of color more likely to die from COVID-19.

Indigenous Communities. Indigenous Americans are also bearing the burden of an outsized impact from COVID. For example, the Navajo Nation has the highest rate of infection per capita in the country. High levels of poverty and a long history of underinvestment in public health systems are contributing to the high toll the pandemic is taking on these indigenous communities.

Low-wage Workers. Households who were already low-income have been more likely to have their jobs or hours cut. For California families with income of $40,000 or less, 47% have seen job losses and 63% cutbacks in hours. These low-income workers are also much less likely to have any of the protections that high-wage earners have, like paid time off or health insurance.

Women. While women have weathered the health impact of COVID 19 slightly better than men, they have been hit hard by the economic and social impact of the pandemic. Nearly 60 percent of the jobs lost in March, and 55 percent of those lost in April, were held by women. They have also seen an increase in childcare responsibilities as school and day care programs shuttered. And then there are those who are forced to shelter in place with their abusers. Police chiefs reported increases of 10% to 30% in domestic assaults in the first two weeks after a national emergency was declared.

Immigrants. Out of all demographic categories, undocumented immigrants, particularly women, have suffered the greatest job losses both in California and nationally. These workers are ineligible for federal stimulus funds and for unemployment, even if they file and pay taxes and have children who are citizens, and even if they are deemed essential workers, of which two thirds are so deemed in California. A fund supported by the government and philanthropy in California has been established to provide one-time $500 payments to undocumented immigrants to provide some relief.

While each family is differently impacted, loss of income is a pressing and universal challenge for all of these heavily impacted communities. As income drops, families struggle to meet basic needs like paying rent and providing food. Over 200,000 Bay Area families reported that they had little or no confidence that they would be able to pay their rent in July. There has also been an unprecedented increase in food insecurity, particularly among families with young children. Among mothers of young children, nearly 20% have reported that their children are not getting enough to eat, a rate three times as high as in 2008, during the worst of the Great Recession.

Source: Brookings Institute

Our Approach

Battery Powered will focus on loss of income with our relief funding, to fill critical gaps left for the most impacted communities. There are two ways we have identified for our funds to support economic relief for these populations: direct cash support to impacted families and food assistance.

Cash Assistance. The solution for those who have lost income or who have insufficient income to meet their needs is to provide income. Cash support is flexible, practical, and direct. It does not predict a family’s needs or dictate certain behaviors. Rather, families can flexibly use cash assistance toward their greatest needs, whether that is food, rent, childcare, healthcare, or other pressing priorities. Cash places the power with the individual to solve the problems they are facing and acknowledges the humanity in recipients. The federal CARES Act acknowledged this with their direct cash payments, but many were left out and the payments were one time, whereas the economic recession is ongoing. The concept is not new: Alaska has provided payments to its residents since 1982, and Stockton is evaluating an ongoing basic income program that has been running for one year.

Many organizations are facilitating direct cash payments to highly impacted communities of individuals who have overlapping “risk factors”. These include the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which works with domestic workers who are largely immigrant women of color and low income; One Fair Wage, which works with tipped workers like servers, delivery drivers, gig economy workers, and personal services workers; and, United for Respect, which supports non-unionized retail workers. Others are getting cash to low-income families they already work with and who are being impacted, like Mission Asset Fund and the Family Independence Initiative.

Food Security. Our food security safety net in the Bay Area is being taxed. The San Francisco Marin Food Bank is providing 64,000 households with weekly groceries, compared to 32,000 prior to the pandemic. The other main food banks in the area, Alameda County Community Food Bank and Second Harvest, are seeing similar jumps in demand for their services. Low-income families who relied on free or reduced price lunches and breakfasts from schools are struggling. Districts have pivoted to provide drive through pick up meals and grocery bags for families. But some families are still falling between the cracks, unable to visit pick up locations. Extending policies that make it easier for families to meet their meal needs, like Pandemic-EBT cards and relaxed restrictions on accessing free meals from schools, would help with meeting this most basic need.

Battery Powered addressed the issue of childhood nutrition and food security in a previous theme. Many of the organizations we supported at that time have pivoted their efforts to meet new demands during the pandemic.

Paths not taken. We must not lose sight of the health impact the pandemic is having on our communities. Ensuring a robust health response is critical. However, Battery Powered has specifically chosen not to focus its funding on the significant needs in the health care setting to stop the spread of the coronavirus. This choice was made in line with members’ interest in focusing on the economic impacts of the pandemic, as well as a recognition that the most impactful investments in the healthcare space will be global in nature, such as vaccine development and testing of potential treatments. Our funding does not feel well suited to these needs.

Relief

Our Approach