Dear John,

In case you missed it...this week the Voices for Human Needs blog reports on the significant pay raise many federal workers just received -- all federal workers must now be paid a minimum of $15 an hour, thanks to President Biden. And we examine efforts to ease the medical debt of Arkansas residents. Finally, we release CHN's latest COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, a by-the-numbers look at how the pandemic is affecting our country's most vulnerable people  Please share!

This week on the blog...

Some 67,000 workers get a pay raise -- and more will soon follow
February 1
Thanks to President Biden, about 67,000 federal workers have now received a guaranteed $15 per hour minimum wage. And within this year, another 300,000 employees of federal contractors -- who fill support positions for the government but are not federal workers -- will join them. The move, which involved Biden filling a 2020 campaign pledge via executive order, affects workers in all U.S. states and territories. It covers a multitude of occupations, including wildland firefighters, plant protection technicians, and custodial workers. READ MORE »

Groups help ease medical debt for 24,000 Arkansans
February 4
Philanthropic groups have collaborated to erase more than $35 million in medical debt for Arkansas residents. Sarah Kinser, chief program officer of Arkansas Community Foundation - one of the groups that raised funds - said medical debt can cause serious financial stress. "People who have to service debt that they can't afford may end up having to choose between feeding their family and repaying that debt," said Kinser. "And especially as we've been in a pandemic and people have had unexpected medical costs. We know that debt burden is especially present on everyone's minds." READ MORE »

CHN's COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship
February 4
The post-pandemic planning edition. The rapid decrease in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has prompted speculation that maybe, possibly, perhaps, the end of the pandemic is in sight. We can’t say for sure – we've been down that road before. But we can ask ourselves a fundamental question. When the pandemic recedes,  do we want to go back to the pre-pandemic days? Or do we want to build something better, something lasting, something that boldly addresses the weaknesses and systemic inequities that predated COVID-19? READ MORE »

 

Coalition on Human Needs
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