STATE/NATION
THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021
THE OBSERVER — 7A
Poll: 15% of Americans worse off a year into pandemic
By SARAH SKIDMORE SELL
AP Personal Finance Writer
While most Americans
have weathered the pan-
demic fi nancially, about 38
million say they are worse
off now than before the out-
break began in the U.S.
Overall, 55% of Ameri-
cans say their fi nancial cir-
cumstances are about the
same now as a year ago,
and 30% say their fi nances
have improved, according
to a new poll from Impact
Genome and The Associ-
ated Press-NORC Center for
Public Aff airs Research. But
15% say they are worse off .
The problem is more pro-
nounced at lower-income
levels: 29% of Americans
living below the federal
poverty line say their per-
sonal fi nances worsened in
the past year. Roughly that
many also fi nd themselves
in a deepening fi nancial
hole, saying they struggled
to pay bills in the past three
months.
Britney Frick, 27, is
among those whose fi nances
have taken a hit. She worked
as a substitute teacher before
the pandemic but her role
was eliminated. Initially, she
found a telecommunications
job that allowed her to work
from home, but the hours
began to dwindle then dried
up altogether.
Frick ended up unem-
ployed for six months but
was able to get by using her
Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press, File
In this May 7, 2020, photo, a person looks inside the closed doors of the Pasadena Community Job Center in
Pasadena, California, during the coronavirus outbreak. While most Americans have weathered the pandemic
fi nancially, about 38 million say they are worse off now than before the outbreak began in the U.S.
savings, reduced rent and
help from her parents.
“I am slowly getting back
on my feet but am nowhere
near where I was before
COVID,” she said.
Frick got a job at a day-
care in March and the steady
work is helping her rebuild
her fi nancial picture.
“I am still living pay-
check to paycheck but at
least the paycheck is cov-
ering the bills,” she said.
“But I am happy to be back
at work honestly and happy
that things are kind of
returning to normal.”
The pandemic has
wreaked havoc on the
economy — the United
States still has 8.4 million
fewer jobs than it had in
February 2020, just before
the pandemic struck.
The government has
passed three major relief
bills in response, which
included direct economic
relief payments to individ-
uals. That has helped ease
the suff ering of some.
The latest round of gov-
ernment payments — $1,400
FEMA trailers being used for
Oregon wildfi re survivors
Associated Press
MEDFORD — Fed-
eral offi cials said trailers at
an industrial site in south-
west Oregon, which were
rumored to house unac-
companied immigrant chil-
dren, are actually for survi-
vors of the September 2020
wildfi res.
The Mail Tribune
reported on Sunday, April
11, the rumors spurred
people with guns to show
up at the site to protest the
presence of the trailers.
Offi cials said the group did
not brandish their weapons
in a threatening manner and
no one was hurt.
“Those rumors are
false. We are not utilizing
the manufactured home
units or any of the travel
trailers to house unaccom-
panied immigrants or indi-
viduals who are crossing
the border in the south, the
north or any other border,”
said Toney Raines, the Fed-
eral Emergency Manage-
ment Agency’s coordi-
nating offi cer for the state of
Oregon.
During the September
2020 wildfi res in Oregon,
more than 1,562 square
miles and at least 4,000
homes were destroyed.
Jackson County, which is in
Southern Oregon and was
the hardest hit area, lost
2,500 homes and, as of last
week, 785 fi re survivors
still were living in hotels.
The fl ames that rav-
aged Oregon and wiped
out aff ordable housing and
entire neighborhoods only
exacerbated the state’s
housing crisis.
“We have almost no
vacancy anywhere. We’re
at essentially 0% vacancy,”
John Vial, the Jackson
County Emergency Oper-
ations Center director, told
the Mail Tribune. “These
FEMA trailers are abso-
lutely essential. We don’t
have other options for
housing. Without bringing
in and placing trailers,
people will have nowhere
to go. These trailers are
absolutely critical for our
community.”
The trailers and units
have been hauled to sev-
eral communities impacted
by the fi res, including 96 in
Jackson County.
to individuals — were sent
out beginning last month.
Households, on average, are
using, or plan to use about
one-third of the money to
pay down debt, about 25%
on spending and put the rest
into savings, according to
a report released last week
from the New York Federal
reserve. That closely mir-
rored spending of prior relief
payments.
Overall, the Impact
Genome/AP-NORC poll
found 52% of Ameri-
cans say they were able to
save money for most of the
past three months, while
37% broke even and 10%
were short on paying bills.
Among Americans living
below the poverty line, 29%
say they struggled to pay
bills recently, while just 16%
have saved. By compar-
ison, 61% of those living far
above the poverty line say
they have been able to save.
The federal poverty line
for a family of four in 2019,
prior to the pandemic, was
$25,750.
There also are wide
racial disparities, with 57%
of white Americans, 47%
of Hispanics and just 39%
of Black Americans saying
they have saved recently.
Black and Hispanic Amer-
icans are about twice as
likely as white Americans to
say they have come up short
on bill payments.
Andrew Holland said
his family’s fi nances were
fairly steady for most of the
pandemic. The California
resident worked as a hos-
pice nurse and case man-
ager and his wife kept her
job with a refi nery. But the
stress and isolation of the
pandemic led him to recon-
sider his work.
Unlike before the pan-
demic, he had no in-person
interaction with colleagues
or friends to relieve some of
the pressure of his job. So
he quit and found a new job
in hospice care with fewer
hours. His wife also got a
new job with better pay.
While their family
fi nances took a temporary
hit and they spent some sav-
ings, he expects to recover.
Holland and his wife have
started tracking their
spending more closely and
are now planning for an ear-
lier retirement.
“This really made me
look at what do I want to
do and when do I want to
do it,” Holland, 35, said. “I
feel incredibly lucky that the
worst that happened is I lost
a month’s of wages and got a
job with fewer hours.”
The poll found many
Americans — nearly a
third — had not had invest-
ment or similar long-term
savings accounts set up
even before the pandemic.
Another 19% say they have
been able to add more to
investments like a 401(k)
or a college savings plan,
and 38% say the amount
hasn’t changed compared
to last year.
Holland said he is dis-
heartened by the inequality
of how the pandemic has
played out for people, and
is concerned the imbalance
will never be corrected.
“I am glad that it gave
me the push to look at my
fi nances and plan a little bit
more for the future,” Hol-
land said. “I defi nitely wish
it had come at a much lower
cost for the world as whole.”
Virus deadly to rabbits found
in multiple areas of Oregon
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Envi-
ronmental experts are con-
cerned about Oregon’s
wild rabbit population after
multiple cases of a virus
that is deadly to the ani-
mals were confi rmed in
diff erent parts of the state.
The latest case of rabbit
hemorrhagic disease,
which the U.S. Department
of Agriculture confi rmed
Wednesday, April 14, was
in La Pine. Last month,
the disease was detected in
Milwaukie near Portland
in eight dead domestic and
feral rabbits.
The disease, also
referred to as RHD, causes
sudden death and is highly
contagious among the ani-
mals, spreading through
contact with infected rab-
bits, meat, fur or other
materials. Birds, rodents,
fl ies, predators and scaven-
gers can spread this virus,
as well as people by car-
rying it on their clothing,
hands and shoes.
The disease poses no
health risk to humans,
experts say.
Offi cials from the
Department of Agricul-
ture warned that people
who own domestic rabbits
should keep them inside,
don’t allow the animals to
roam the yard, avoid trans-
porting the animals and
quarantine new rabbits for
30 days.
In addition, offi cials
say hunters should avoid
areas where outbreaks
of the disease have been
reported. After handling
wild rabbits, people should
wash their hands, change
clothes and report sick or
dead rabbits to the Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
To prevent the virus
from spreading further
into the domestic rabbit
population, the state is col-
lecting and testing feral
rabbits where the disease
has been detected.
State budget hearings underway
Hearing for 2nd Congressional District
is Saturday, April 17, at 1:30 p.m.
By GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon res-
idents can testify about the
state’s upcoming two-year
budget during online hear-
ings that begin this week.
The Legislature’s Joint
Ways & Means Committee
will take virtual and written
testimony for the state’s
revenue and spending plans
for 2021-22, which must be
fi nalized by June 28.
The committee of House
and Senate members will
take testimony, then vote
on the budget in committee
work sessions still to be
scheduled. The state budget
is usually among the last set
of bills passed during the
odd-numbered year session.
The budget committee
will hold fi ve regional hear-
ings, one for each congres-
sional district.
The fi rst hearing was
April 14, for the 1st Con-
gressional District, which
includes northwest Oregon.
The other hearings are:
• CD2: Saturday, April
17, at 1:30 p.m. (Bend,
Pendleton, La Grande and
most of Oregon east of the
Cascades, plus parts of
southwestern Oregon)
• CD3: Wednesday, April
21, at 5:30 p.m. (Portland
and some suburbs)
• CD4: Thursday, April
22, at 5:30 p.m. (Eugene,
Corvallis, south and central
coastal areas)
• CD5: Saturday, April
24, at 1 p.m. (Salem,
north-central coast, most
of Tillamook County plus
some Portland suburbs)
How do I fi nd my con-
gressional district: Go to
www.oregonlegislature.gov/
fi ndyourlegislator/leg-dis-
tricts.html or call your
county clerk’s offi ce.
What’s in the budget:
The hearing covers the
2021-22 state budget, which
would go into eff ect July
1. The budget will be in
Senate Bill 5555.
An overview of the com-
mittee’s plans are at bit.ly/
ORbudget. To read Senate
Bill 5555 as it now looks, go
to bit.ly/SB5555.
How to watch: The
hearings will be streamed
live, and be available for
later viewing, at bit.ly/
ORbudgetlive.
How to testify: Written
testimony can be submitted
at any time, and com-
ments on specifi c regional
issues will be taken up to
24 hours before a hearing.
To submit testimony elec-
tronically, go to bit.ly/
ORbudgettestimony.
To submit testimony by
mail, send to: Joint Ways
and Means Committee,
900 State Street NE, Room
H-178, Salem 97301.
Registration is required
to testify by phone or video
link. Registration closes at
the meeting’s start time. To
register electronically, go to
bit.ly/ORbudgettestify.
For assistance, call
833-698-1371.
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