St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund

Orange County Community Resilience Fund Evaluation Report 10 2019, but somewhat down from the May peak of 14.7%. This represents a loss of 203,100 jobs. However, the job loss was not evenly distributed, and tended to hit lower income and more vulnerable people harder. For example, 89,500 jobs were lost in the leisure, hospitality, or retail sectors 4 – sectors which traditionally provide lower pay and employ more people who are immigrants and/or people of color. Even those families that may not have been laid off face challenges due to lack of available transportation or child care. The economic impact of COVID-19 can also be more acute for women, who comprise the majority of workers in many frontline positions, as well as education, child care, retail, and health care. The loss of a job is difficult for any family, but low-income families who already lack sufficient savings or other support options are more affected. Furthermore, while the federal government did institute some stimulus payments for citizens and those who lost their jobs, undocumented immigrants were not eligible for such support. Efforts in the state of California to provide financial support for undocumented immigrants mitigated these effects somewhat, but limited funding, low awareness, process concerns, and the natural reluctance of undocumented and mixed status families to seek support may have led to some families being shut out of this support. There is also fear surrounding the safety of accessing benefits and services due to misinformation about public charge and scams targeting immigrants. Finally, some resources around support may not be fully available in immigrants' native languages, especially those not considered "threshold languages." One of the biggest concerns for low-income families is that they would face mass evictions due to loss of jobs and salaries. Every level of government passed some form of an eviction moratorium. When Governor Newsom allowed local governments to protect residents from evictions until June 30th, most large Orange County cities including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Westminster, Costa Mesa, Buena Park, and Placentia followed suit. The Governor subsequently extended the order through September, but not every city granted the extension, so eviction proceedings may have already started. Furthermore, the eviction moratorium did not place a halt on rent payments, so many residents have incurred a huge unpaid rent burden; when eviction protections expire, many will face immediate court proceedings. Increased need for the social safety net Due to these economic impacts, there has been a dramatic increase in the need for the safety net-resources such as food banks, the provision of basic needs including diapers, hygiene items, housing and utility assistance, and other emergency support. As one measure of increased demand, larger food banks reported 4 to 7 times as much demand for food in April and May, while some small ones had a 40 fold increase, compared to pre-pandemic levels. 2-1-1 reports inquiries have more Inquiry Type Increase Avg Daily Calls 109% Avg Searches & Resource Views 65% Food/Meals 104% Housing 45% Utilities Assistance 410% Income Support Assistance 361% Health care 178% Table 2: Increase in 2-1-1 Inquiries by type and subject, May-July 2020 4 In June 2019, these sectors made up 22% of the employment of Orange County. 44% percent of job loss was in this area, demonstrating the disproportionate impact.

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