, COVID-19 stimulus payments moved nearly 12 million people out of poverty in the U.S. Unemployment insurance prevented millions more from falling into poverty in the first place.
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And in Vermont right now, jobs are plentiful and starting wages are up.
But advocates say many people in Vermont are still struggling.
West Rutland resident Michele Bailey is one of them. On a recent Wednesday, she pushed a shopping cart through the food pantry at , which serves Rutland and Bennington counties.
BROC is one of five community action agencies in the state that serve low-income Vermonters. The lobby in Rutland was busy with people coming and going.
Bailey was there to pick up her family鈥檚 monthly allotment of free groceries, and she looked tired but relieved after filling her cart.
鈥淲e鈥檙e fortunate enough to be homeowners,鈥� she explained. 鈥淏ut now my roof is leaking, and I can鈥檛 afford to fix that. My refrigerator broke down the other day, and I can鈥檛 afford to replace my refrigerator. My car is on its last leg.鈥�
Bailey said she used work as a production artist for the Vermont Country Store and loved it.
鈥淚t was a great career,鈥� she said. But she got a brain tumor, and she explained that it made her unsteady, so she can鈥檛 work anymore.
Now, divorced and on permanent disability, she鈥檚 raising three kids on a fixed income, and it鈥檚 not keeping up.
鈥淒uring COVID, I had to make sure each of my children had cell phones so that they could do their schoolwork,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, we ended up with a $300 cell phone bill. And then you get your fuel; everything鈥檚 going up except for your paycheck, you know?鈥�
She leaned onto her grocery cart and sighed.
鈥淪ometimes we have to decide between gas in the car or food in the belly," she said. "That鈥檚 our reality now.鈥�
Bailey's face brightened when she noticed the food pantry had Frosted Flakes. Her family would enjoy that cereal she said, putting a box into her cart.
She worries her family will lose their West Rutland home, and says she knows many others in the same boat.
鈥淚 went to go see a friend of mine the other day, and I pulled in, and there were no trespassing signs," Bailey said. "She was evicted, I have no idea where she is 鈥� I鈥檓 really worried about her.鈥�
Tens of millions of dollars in COVID relief aid has come into Vermont to help with rent, mortgage payments, food and utility bills.
BROC鈥檚 phone lines were buzzing with people calling, and there was a steady stream of people stopping by to ask about how to get it.
Tom Donahue, BROC鈥檚 executive director, said they鈥檝e been working hard to connect people to the money. But many still miss out for a variety of reasons.
鈥淎 lot of people can鈥檛 access the programs 鈥榗ause they鈥檙e online,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of them may not have high-speed internet and basically, they may not have the savvy to complete these oftentimes complicated applications, where there鈥檚 scanning and printing.鈥�
Rita Markley heads up COTS, a nonprofit that fights homelessness in Chittenden County. On the heels of COVID, she believes Vermont鈥檚 tight housing market is one of the biggest barriers for people trying to recover financially.
鈥淩ents are skyrocketing,鈥� Markley said. 鈥淎nd there's like, less than a 1% vacancy rate, so you know, a two-bedroom apartment becomes available, 70 people will show up to see that apartment. And often it's $100 or $200 a month higher than it was just a year ago.鈥�
After housing, August Kvan with Northeast Kingdom Community Action points to affordable transportation as another reason many Vermonters are struggling, especially those in rural parts of the state.
She said in areas with limited-to-no mass transit, if you don鈥檛 have a reliable car, getting to and from work can be next-to-impossible. Carpooling is less of an option during a pandemic, and even with a car, she said gas prices are up, so it鈥檚 more costly.
You might think: Jobs are plentiful, and wages are up, so that鈥檚 probably helping. But for families that have been receiving child care and housing assistance, Kvam said income from a full-time job can sometimes disqualify them from continuing to get those benefits.
So, if the only job you can get is entry-level, you might not be able to afford to work.
鈥淪ometimes we have to decide between gas in the car or food in the belly. That鈥檚 our reality now.鈥�Michele Bailey, West Rutland resident
Rita Markley sees this all the time, especially with people in the service sector who don鈥檛 have a set schedule.
鈥淪o鈥� if your hours are switched from Monday through Friday, and suddenly you have to take weekend shifts, and you don't have child care coverage, and suddenly, you have to pay for options that you don't have," she said. "Or you have to say no to those shifts. It's really difficult.鈥�
It leaves people with no margin, Markley said. So when a car breaks, a roof leaks, or a medical emergency comes up, families are left with untenable choices.
On top of all that, with COVID cases in Vermont climbing, many people are still afraid to work.
Markley added: 鈥淢y biggest fear is a year and a half from now, the people who got these very high rent increases are going to be the next wave of homeless and there won't be COVID resources to absorb that impact.鈥�
Back in Rutland at BROC Community Action, Tom Donahue said one of the few silver linings of the last year and a half is that the pandemic has shined a light on poverty and homelessness like never before.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 critical,鈥� Donahue said. 鈥淚n Rutland County for example, our folks tend to keep to themselves and they鈥檙e not visible. They鈥檙e not camping out in downtown like in Burlington, for instance, so it鈥檚 out of sight, out of mind, and then the problem isn鈥檛 addressed. And now it is being addressed.鈥�
How successfully remains to be seen. In the meantime, BROC and other agencies like it are gearing up to help even more Vermonters next year.
Have questions, comments or tips? or get in touch with reporter Nina Keck .
