Rent assistance requests to 2-1-1 helplines since COVID are higher in cities with a larger proportion of workers in personal care and service occupations. As the percent of the workforce in personal care and service jobs increases, so too does the rate of requests for help paying rent.
Requests for childcare assistance are on the rise at 2-1-1 helplines. The steady increase in requests for childcare during May coincides with states reopening after COVID-related shutdowns.
Although low-poverty ZIP codes account for less than 5% of 2-1-1 requests for food assistance, they have risen faster and declined more slowly than calls from ZIP codes with much higher levels of poverty.
2-1-1s in two states (NJ, FL) have now received over a quarter million requests each since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and requests for assistance have topped 50,000 in 10 other states. New Jersey has not only received the most requests, but also has the highest rate of 2-1-1 requests per 100,000 population.
In a new analysis of more than 1,500 U.S. counties, Monroe County, NY stands above the rest in responding to COVID-related food needs. Its 2-1-1/LIFE LINE Program has seen a whopping 1455% increase in food pantry requests from pre- to post-COVID-19.
Up, then down, then up again. Requests to 2-1-1 started rising again in a second wave of calls. This may be due to the large number of coronavirus outbreaks in the state related to meat packing plants.
The death of a loved one can be emotionally draining. For many Americans, it’s financially draining, too. In states hardest hit by COVID-19, 2-1-1s are seeing it firsthand.
In North Carolina, counties with COVID-19 outbreaks linked to meat packing plants are experiencing a second wave of needs for food, housing and healthcare.
Since COVID-19, one in three requests to 2-1-1 from older adults is for food assistance. Before COVID, it was 1 in 5.
In Black Hawk County, Iowa, calls to 2-1-1 for housing, food and health care needs tripled as the pandemic began. Then a COVID-19 outbreak closed the county’s Tyson Foods’ pork packing plant. The resulting second surge was even bigger than the first.
A quarter million calls for help. With more Americans missing rent and mortgage payments due to the economic fallout from COVID-19, 2-1-1s passed another milestone. On May 5th, 2-1-1s passed 250,000 requests for housing assistance.
States with weaker protections for renters have seen greater increases in the number of requests to 2-1-1 for rent assistance since COVID.
2-1-1s are responding to record-breaking call volume across the U.S., and people are noticing. A search of “211” in the news section of any web browser yield thousands of results in the last month alone. While most are only brief mentions referring readers and viewers to 2-1-1 for help, many are covering the story of 2-1-1s’ response to COVID-related needs.
2-1-1s don’t shut down on weekends, especially not in a pandemic. Last weekend, the 24/7/365 helplines passed 200,000 requests for housing assistance since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and that only counts requests from 2-1-1s participating in a daily tracking system.
A major milestone was reached this week, as requests to a large group of 2-1-1 helplines exceeded 1 million since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on March 11th. The one millionth request came on April 16th.
One third of Americans calling 2-1-1 from low-poverty ZIP codes are requesting COVID-19 information about exposure, infection, disease or testing. In sharp contrast, only 11% of 2-1-1 callers from high-poverty ZIP codes want COVID-19 information.
Americans calling 2-1-1 since COVID-19 are disproportionately women, but it varies a lot based on the caller’s needs. Nearly all requests (80-90%) for diapers and toilet paper, child care, and clothing and household items come from women.
In recent days, a growing number of COVID-19 outbreaks have been linked to meat packing plants across the Midwest. To understand what might lie ahead for residents in these counties, we revisited Minnehaha County, SD where the number of daily calls to 2-1-1 increased 1400% after an outbreak at a meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls in late March.
The differences are small, but clear. Five weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, the proportion of housing assistance requests to 2-1-1 helplines is increasing faster in low-poverty ZIP codes than high-poverty ZIP codes. This trend is worth watching, as it may indicate that more Americans living in wealthier neighborhoods are feeling the economic fallout of the […]
February 11th (i.e., 2-11) is recognized each year as National 2-1-1 Day. But if you’re looking for the most significant date in 2-1-1 history, it’s probably March 18th, 2020. One month ago today, 2-1-1s recorded the greatest number of requests in single day, 46,399, and that counts only the requests received by 2-1-1s in 24 […]
Minnehaha County, SD tops the list of counties with the greatest increase in requests for help from 2-1-1 helplines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts, Florida and South Dakota all had at least two counties in the Top Minnehaha County, SD tops the list of counties with the greatest increase in requests for help from 2-1-1 […]
Last Sunday’s report, “High-poverty ZIP codes hurting most for food, rent during COVID-19,” was so popular that we recreated it including all 31 states for which 2-1-1 data are available. This is up from the original seven states, and we’ve also added four more days of data, through yesterday. In all, we analyzed over 150,000 […]
There is one group of unsung COVID-19 heroes that you can hear but never see. As we rightfully celebrate workers in healthcare, grocery stores, and other essential services, Focus-19 wants to recognize the country’s 2-1-1 specialists whose voices greet callers in need nearly 1,000 times every hour. These professionals are America’s first responders for information, […]
People living in high poverty ZIP codes make up 10% of the population but account for 39% of all requests for food assistance during COVID-19. They also account for a disproportionate share of requests for help with rent or mortgage payments. We examined over 50,000 requests for food, rent and mortgage assistance received by 2-1-1 […]
Until today, our Focus-19 space has highlighted social needs that have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. But some requests have actually declined. We examined requests to 2-1-1 helplines for transportation and childcare assistance and found that both are falling. The charts below show daily requests for childcare (top chart) and transportation (bottom chart) received by […]
After 4 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, what changes can we see in Americans’ need for assistance with food, rent and other social needs? Data from 2-1-1 helplines indicate that it varies a lot by state. Requests for food assistance are still dramatically higher than normal in all states, but starting to gradually decline in […]
Food requests in Missouri are more than twice as high as usual, but gradually declining from a COVID-19 peak on March 23rd. In contrast, there is no indication that the COVID-19 increase in requests for rent assistance is declining. We examined daily requests for food, rent and utility payment assistance received by the United Way […]
For two consecutive weeks, new unemployment claims have set record highs in the U.S. Based on data from 2-1-1 helplines across the country, that trend will continue. Typically, very few people call 2-1-1 about unemployment benefits, choosing instead to contact unemployment offices directly. But that has changed with COVID-19. Within 5 days of the pandemic […]
In the three weeks since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, 2-1-1s across the U.S. have received over 50,000 requests for food pantries. During the same period in 2019, food requests totaled 11,561. As the charts below illustrate, this 340% increase was a sudden and dramatic shift from typical demand for food pantries. Our analyses examined […]
Requests for rent assistance in selected states have jumped by over 25,000 in less than three weeks. We examined day-by-day requests to 2-1-1 helplines for rent assistance in all or parts of 26 states for the first quarter of 2020 (top chart). We compared it to rent assistance requests in the first quarter of 2019 […]
Although the number of requests to 2-1-1 helplines for utility payment assistance have increased in most states during the COVID-19 pandemic, the increases are not as large or universal as those for food, rent assistance and other needs. Why? Very early on in the pandemic, some states suspended disconnection of utilities for non-payment. It’s possible […]
Food needs in Florida have tripled since COVID-19, and in some counties the number of requests for food assistance is more than 10X higher than the same dates in 2019. Focus-19 tracks daily requests to 211 helplines in Florida and 30+ other states. We examined requests for food pantries and home-delivered meals by county in […]
From March 12-25 last year (2019), the 2-1-1 helpline in Maryland received 4 requests from sick or disables seniors looking for help getting home delivered meals. Over the same dates this year, 453 requests. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations is profound, and is being captured every day by 2-1-1s across the […]
One week ago, we published the first two Focus-19 reports on rising rates of food needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. One week later, the needs are even more profound. We’ve added more states – 23 now – and another 7 days of food requests to 2-1-1 helplines across the U.S. The chart below compares the […]
Requests to 2-1-1 for diapers and toilet paper have increased up to 20-fold in some states since the COVID-19 pandemic. Low-income families seldom have the luxury of buying large quantities of toilet paper in bulk to last months and months. Instead they buy small quantities more frequently. When local stores run out, many families have […]
The pattern is unmistakable. Across the U.S., requests to 2-1-1 from Americans seeking help getting food and paying rent rose sharply and instantly in the days following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analyses examined 21 cities and states over the first 11 weeks of 2020. For each week, we charted the total number […]
In most states, about 1 out of every 10 calls to 2-1-1 helplines is from someone seeking help with their monthly rent payment. It is one of the most frequent requests, and in many states the most frequent request. In a single year, 2019, five states alone – MD, MO, NC, NY, PA – accounted […]
In a typical week, 2-1-1s get hundreds of requests from people looking for a food pantry to help feed their families. In Wisconsin, 2-1-1 receives over 500 such requests a week, Maryland and Pennsylvania get 200 requests a week, and Alabama, Missouri and Nevada get over 100 weekly requests. We examined food pantry requests from […]
Low-income Americans whose health, age or disability makes it difficult to prepare their own meals or travel to places that serve meals are sometimes eligible for home-delivered meals. Meals-on-Wheels is a well-known example of a home-delivered meal program. Some people call 2-1-1 to get help getting connecting to home-delivered meal programs. Because of the highly […]