Although in the latest Pulse survey from the Census Bureau, fewer people said they didn’t have enough food to eat in the past week, hardship rates remain very high, said the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities on Wednesday. The think tank, along with anti-hunger advocates, said the $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill will provide some relief.
The bill includes $3.5 billion for a three-month extension of the temporary 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits, $1 billion in nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, $800 million for the WIC program, and $5.4 billion for the so-called P-EBT program to help low-income parents buy food for their children during the school year and the summer.
According to the Census Bureau, nearly 11 percent of adults reported that their households did not have enough food in the previous seven days, compared to 4 percent before the pandemic, and 35 percent of adults said they had difficulty covering usual household expenses. The survey was conducted from Feb. 17 to March 1.
“Hardship rates at the end of February were very high, especially among families with children,” said Claire Zippel, senior research assistant at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Northwestern University economist Diane Schanzenbach said the percentage of people reporting not having enough to eat was down by nearly 1 percentage point, to 10.5 percent, from early February. “Expecting to see more progress in coming weeks as relief payments go out and job market continues to improve,” said Schanzenbach on social media. “There’s still a long way to go and too much food hardship being endured.”
The Alliance to End Hunger said the food assistance provisions of the coronavirus bill would provide “much-needed relief for millions of people who are struggling to make ends meet.”