How to get help in Alabama during the COVID-19 crisis

Life is changing quickly for everyone during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. Protecting yourself and your family from the virus is the first of many concerns. The pandemic also has left many Alabamians worried about food, health care, housing, job security and other basic needs.

Alabama has a safety net of public assistance programs that can help people through hard times. And Alabama Arise wants to help people connect with the help they need. Use this guide to find services that may fit your needs now, even if you weren’t eligible before.

Cover Alabama Coalition: Medicaid expansion is essential to state's recovery

Alabama Arise is proud to be a founding member of the Cover Alabama Coalition, a nonpartisan alliance of more than 60 Alabama organizations that has come together to urge Gov. Kay Ivey to say yes to Medicaid expansion. The coalition, which launched Wednesday, is calling on Ivey to close the health coverage gap for workers who don’t have employer-based insurance and can’t afford to purchase insurance on their own. Check out our news release for more information and details on how you can help.

Montgomery Advertiser: Medicaid expansion advocates organize amid pandemic; GOP leaders remain cool

Alabamians who are uninsured or struggling to pay for coverage need access to life-saving medical care all the time, not just during a pandemic. As Arise's Jim Carnes tells the Montgomery Advertiser: "Is Alabama willing to hold back and remain satisfied with a stressed, frayed hospital network and a system that leaves hundreds of thousands of people out of affordable health coverage? We say the answer is no."

AL.com: Many Alabama schools stop serving meals to slow coronavirus, others keep serving

School closures have increased the risk of hunger for Alabama children living in households with low incomes. Many Black Belt residents in particular face a dire food situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with churches and schools filling the need as possible. "They're doing the best they can, but it's scary," Arise's Celida Soto Garcia tells AL.com.

WAFF: Federal law is expanding SNAP benefits for people who need food

As unemployment soars, meaningful policy responses can help families keep food on the table. New federal SNAP changes to suspend time limits and lift enrollment barriers are "going to make a really big difference in keeping people fed who otherwise would have been going hungry," Arise's Carol Gundlach tells WAFF 48 News in Huntsville.

AL.com: As pandemic continues, homeless find themselves on the fringes of life

For people who already struggled with homelessness, COVID-19 has made a bad situation even worse. The pandemic has left many Alabamians "wondering when they'll get paid again, or where they'll get their next meal, or where they'll sleep tonight," Arise's Chris Sanders tells AL.com. "And they have no idea how in the world they'd pay for health care if they get sick."

BuzzFeed News: A judge ordered the release of low-level prisoners because of the coronavirus. People were absolutely furious.

A COVID-19 outbreak in Alabama's prisons and jails would be a nightmarish scenario, endangering hundreds or thousands of lives. "We have overcrowded correctional institutions and a real reluctance to address the problems that will cause during this pandemic," Arise's Dev Wakeley tells BuzzFeed News.

Alabama News Network: Organizations call for access to COVID-19 information in multiple languages

This pandemic is a threat to Alabamians of all backgrounds. That's why Arise has joined the call for our state to make health and safety information more readily available to residents who don't speak English. Learn more from Alabama News Network in Montgomery.