Dear John,

In case you missed it... this week the Voices for Human Needs blog reacted to news of the nation's spiraling unemployment rate and increased food scarcity, congratulated SEIU's Illinois nursing home workers for an historic breakthrough in winning key benefits, and discussed the importance of health care workers and housing advocates coming together to fight COVID-19. In addition, we unveiled CHN's latest Human Needs Report, which provides updates on fiscal year 2021 appropriations, coronavirus legislation, and the 2020 Census. Please share!

This week on the blog...

New unemployment report shows record-breaking hardship -- Congress must respond
May 8
The gravity of our national situation cannot be denied. With 20,000 – 30,000 new COVID-19 cases every day in the U.S., we will not be able to fully open our economy for some time. We are experiencing a pandemic-induced economic depression. April’s stunning unemployment report showed a total of nearly 44 million either out of work or involuntarily part-time. For Latinx, nearly one in five were unemployed (18.9 percent); for African Americans, 16.7 percent; for whites, 14.2 percent; for Asians, 14.5 percent, using the narrowest official definition of unemployment. READ MORE »

One day before planning to strike, nursing home workers in Illinois win key concessions
May 7
Thousands of frontline nursing home workers in Illinois have won a tentative yet significant victory after workers reached an agreement with the Illinois Association of Health Care Facilities. The agreement, which still must be approved by rank-and-file workers, was reached on Thursday, May 7. On Friday, 6,000 caregivers at 64 nursing home facilities in Illinois had been prepared to strike. The agreement is good news for both SEIU Healthcare members as well as residents at more than 100 nursing homes – both nursing home residents and employees have been disproportionately harmed by COVID-19. READ MORE »

Housing and health care: Working together to address COVID-19
May 7
We are in the midst of a health crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic – where we know people experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk of infection due to a variety of factors like the inability to socially isolate, being unsheltered, and having increased underlying health conditions. To address the pandemic, the homelessness system must work across silos, particularly health – a sector that has the ability to test and care for our vulnerable populations during these trying times. READ MORE »

CHN's latest Human Needs Report examines congressional work on COVID-19, FY21 spending, and 2020 Census progress
May 4
CHN today released its latest edition of the Human Needs Report. Read on for the latest on Congress's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, work on FY21 spending bills, a delay in the 2020 Census operations, and more.. READ MORE »

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