Food Banks Bracing For End Of Extended Unemployment Benefits

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Food Banks Bracing For End Of Extended Unemployment Benefits

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/29/food-banks-bracing-for-en_n_789198.html



Arthur Delaney
[e-mail] | HuffPost Reporting

First Posted: 11-29-10 01:21 PM | Updated: 11-29-10 01:27 PM

WASHINGTON -- Food banks across the country are watching for the end of federally-funded extended unemployment insurance.

"We are bracing for it," said Vicki Escarra, CEO of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity, in an interview with HuffPost. Escarra said that Feeding America's 200 member food banks across the country feed nearly six million people every week.

"I can assure you, if these unemployment insurance benefits are not reinstated we'll see these numbers go way up," Escarra said.

Two federal programs -- Emergency Unemployment Compensation and Extended Benefits, which together provide up to 73 weeks of jobless aid on top of 26 weeks of state aid -- are set to expire this week because Congress has not reauthorized them. According to the Labor Department, two million long-term unemployed will be dropped from the programs by the end of December if Congress does not act.

[GKirk]

1. I'll take that corned beef hash....

...off their hands. Yum!

[ThomCat]

2. I know some people who will be hit by this. Do you?

I'm sure we all do, whether we know who they are our not.

People are not announcing, "hey, here I am, I haven't been able to find work for almost 99 weeks." People are feeling a lot of shame and desperation about it.

When that unemployment runs out, and there isn't anything else to take its place, expect to start hearing about suicides. :(

Some of us have already started talking, planning how to prevent it, figuring how we can be there to help friends who need help most, planning how to do whatever we can.

Seriously, please start talking with your own friends now, and start planning. Someone you know may announce that s/he is in a desperate situation, and you might not have a lot of advanced notice.

Don't underestimate how hard this is going to be when people suddenly have no income and are facing the loss of everything. Be prepared to direct people to help. Be prepared to be help.

And then, even in a best case scenario, if we don't extend unemployment be prepared to watch people become homeless. Public assistance isn't enough, and many people can't get public assistance.

Are you willing and able to become an advocate for homeless people? There has been a big increase in the number of homeless people. There is going to continue to be an increase. How are we going to get our homeless friends and family back into homes?

[laughingliberal]

3. I do know some. Thank you for your post. nt

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. I do...that's why I posted it.

I'm lucky to be in a pretty tight-knit community, through my business, church, and friends, that has this kind of thing on our radar 365 days a year. I am also the Webmaster for my church, which allows me to constantly encourage them to make local resources known. Everyone has something they can do, big or small. When everyone takes this seriously and does what they can, that's how people get back in their homes.

:patriot:

[leftstreet]

4. K&R

[TriMera]

6. k & r. n/t