COVID-19 food, rent, utility needs in MO

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 […]

Daily Rent Needs, 1st Quarter, 2020

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 […]

11-Week Trend Analysis

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 […]

Rent Assistance

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 […]