At Propel, we help low-income Americans improve their financial health. We do this by building modern, respectful, and effective technology, like Fresh EBT.

COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on low-income Americans. We’re working hard to reduce this impact for our 2 million Fresh EBT users:

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• We're helping our users access donations.

• We’re keeping our users informed.

• We're sharing our users' experiences. 

Do you know of any resources that low-income Americans should be aware of? 

Our 6 Key Findings:

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1. The risk of running completely out of food and resources is imminent.
   More than half of families have only a few days of food and cash on hand.
    

2. Stable housing is now at risk for many.
   More than half of families with stable housing report risk of losing it in the next 30 days.
    

3. Almost all workers have lost earnings due to COVID-19. A third have lost their job completely. 
   86% of those employed in 2020 have lost earnings due to the Coronavirus.
    

4. Less than half will receive stimulus payments without risk of delay or complication.
   Only 46% have an open bank account, and have filed taxes in either 2018 or 2019.
    

5. School meals aren't accessible even when available.
   In a separate survey conducted on March 26th, we found that 62% of those whose schools do provide meals can’t access them because of transportation, time, or health concerns. No school meals means higher food costs at home.
    

6. The virus itself is just beginning to affect families.
   7.2% of respondents report being sick with Coronavirus like symptoms, up from 6% one week prior (March 26th).

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1. The risk of running completely out of food and resources is imminent.
 

• 55% of respondents have only a few days of food and cash.

  • Specifically, ​55% of respondents report either stocking up “barely” or “not at all”, and having 3 days or less of cash on hand.

    • Overall, 72% were able to stock up only “barely” or “not at all”

    • Overall, 60% report having only 1-2 of cash on hand.

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• 70.3% of respondents report food insecurity since Coronavirus; including skipping meals, using food pantries, or relying on others for meals.

  • 46% report skipping meals

  • 32.5% report visiting food pantries

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• 46% report not having paid at least one bill since Coronavirus began.

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• 56% of respondents report borrowing, using credit or relying on donations to pay for normal expenses in the last 30 days.
  For 80% of respondents, normal monthly expenses are less than $1500.
   

• 9% of respondents represent the most at risk families: single parents that have all lost income due to Coronavirus, and report no other financial support from partners or co-parents, or other government programs.
   

• Stories from our users make it clear that parents are having to make impossible choices. They're paying for food instead of medical care or gas to find a job. They're going hungry so that their children won't.

2. Stable housing is now at risk for many.
 

• 54% of respondents with stable housing report risk of losing it in the next 30 days.

  • When asked whether they will be able to maintain their current housing situation, these 54% reported the odds as “fifty fifty”, or indicated they either “probably will not” or “will not” be able to stay.

  • 1 in 5 (20.9%) are at great risk, indicating they either “probably will not” or “will not” be able to stay.
     

• 12.8% of respondents with stable housing can’t pay any of their key monthly housing costs.

  • ​25% have not, and don’t plan, to pay April rent.

  • 28.7% are not planning to pay utilities this month. 
     

3. Almost all workers have lost earnings due to Coronavirus. More than a third have lost their job completely. Barriers to Unemployment benefits remain.
 

• 86.4% of those employed in 2020 have lost earnings due to the Coronavirus.
  Representing 41.5% of the total Fresh EBT population.
   

  • 60.5% are no longer working.

    • 38.6% of those who have lost earnings, have lost their jobs completely.

    • 21.9% have lost earnings because work is totally paused.
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  • 25.9% are earning less due to reductions in hours worked or wages earned.

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• A disproportionate share of jobs have been lost by people that identify as Black.

  • Black respondents represent 46.7% of those that lost jobs due to Coronavirus, but only represent 34.9% of the survey respondents overall.

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• 62% of those who have lost a job due to Coronavirus report having tried to apply for Unemployment. Only 48% of those that lost jobs have successfully applied.

  • Hispanics who have lost a job due to Coronavirus have tried to apply for Unemployment at a lower rate (39%) compared to those that identified as White (69%) or Black (65%)

  • Only 35% of those who successfully applied have received a determination yet. The approval rate is approximately 57%.

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• Among those that lost work but have not applied for Unemployment, 69% report not applying because they don’t think they are eligible.

4. Less than half are positioned to receive the stimulus payments without risk of delay or complication.
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• Only 46% are positioned to receive and use a stimulus check without risk of delay or complication.

  • These are people who meet the following criteria:

    • Currently have a bank account AND

    • Filed taxes for either 2018 or 2019 (or both)

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• 29% are at risk of not receiving a stimulus payment at all.
  23% of these at-risk households have children living at home.

  • These are people who likely do not have an address on file with the Treasury because they neither filed taxes for 2018, nor filed taxes for 2019.

4. School meals aren't accessible most of the time, even when available.

SNAP-enrolled children can receive Free and Reduced Price School Meals, but these meals aren’t universally available or accessible. As a result, food budgets must cover more meals, increasing the risk that families will skip meals and go hungry.

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• In a separate random-sample survey conducted on March 26th (n=508), we found that 62% of those whose schools do provide meals can’t access them because of transportation, time, or health concerns. At least 1 in 6 schools were not known to be providing meals at all.

6. The virus itself is just beginning to affect families.

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• 7.2% of respondents report being sick with Coronavirus like symptoms, compared to 6% one week ago (March 26th, n=508)

  • Only 50% of respondents with symptoms report having talked to a doctor.

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• 4% of respondents report that someone they live with is sick with Coronavirus like symptoms.

For questions or suggestions, email info@joinpropel.com.