Alabamians are living through hard times right now. Thousands of people are sick. Many more are scared or out of work. Uncertainty is everywhere amid a pandemic with no clear timetable or end game.
As more businesses close or cut back, as more people lose income, and as fewer of us go to the stores where we normally shop, state tax revenues are falling. That endangers funding for education, public health and other core services at a time when we need them most.
A state Senate committee Tuesday approved a smaller General Fund (GF) budget than the one Gov. Kay Ivey initially proposed. But that budget’s revenue assumptions may be too optimistic, and many lawmakers acknowledge they may need to revisit it this summer or fall as the pandemic’s financial toll becomes clearer. In the meantime, the ongoing public health emergency is compounding structural problems that have plagued Alabama for decades.
How Alabama should strengthen its tax system
The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated economic freefall are not the root cause of Alabama’s chronic underfunding of public services or the fundamental failures of its tax system. But this crisis is exposing and exacerbating those shortcomings. And it is illustrating the need for progressive tax changes that would equip our state to endure both this downturn and future recessions.
Alabama should enact these changes to raise revenue for vital services and make life better for struggling families:
Eliminate the regressive, and expensive, state income tax deduction for federal income taxes. About 80% of the $782 million deduction’s benefit flows to the top 20% of households.
Increase income tax brackets so the highest-paid 25% of taxpayers have a higher tax rate than people in the lower and middle brackets do. Alabama’s top income tax rate kicks in at just $3,000 of taxable income.
Impose a temporary income surtax on millionaires during the financial crisis.
Apply sales and use taxes to more professional services and digital goods and services like music downloads and video streaming services.
Institute or increase sales and excise taxes on unhealthy items like tobacco, vaping products or sugary soft drinks. The state could dedicate this money to Medicaid and other health care services.
Lessons from the past: How the last recession devastated Alabama’s finances
Alabama has two major revenue sources for public services that rise and fall with the economy. One is the income tax, which is earmarked (or dedicated) solely for K-12 teacher salaries. Sales and use taxes, which largely go toward education but also fund some other services, are the other. (Use taxes apply to online and mail-order purchases.) Most GF revenue sources grow slowly even in good times.
To understand this downturn’s potential impact, we should look back to the last recession, which struck Alabama in 2009. Both the Education Trust Fund (ETF) and GF were prorated as revenues plummeted during the Great Recession. Proration is an across-the-board funding cut when revenues fall short of expectations.
ETF revenues went down 11.8%, or $702 million, between 2008 and 2009. GF revenues for services like courts, Medicaid, public safety and veterans’ assistance fell by 13.9%, or $250 million.
The ETF could lose $841 million in state money next year if revenues decline at the same rate as in 2009. This would be equivalent to $1,160 per student in public K-12 schools, or 20% of all state K-12 funding. It’s also more than this year’s state allocations to the University of Alabama and Auburn University systems combined.
Meanwhile, the GF could lose $305 million if this downturn matches the Great Recession. That would be equivalent to 2020 GF funding for the Department of Human Resources (DHR), mental health, public health and senior services combined.
This loss also doesn’t include other dedicated funds for GF agencies like child welfare, mental health and veterans’ services. If these earmarked funds dropped by 13.9%, as the GF did in 2009, Alabama would need another $2 billion to avoid cuts. Altogether, the total funding loss to education, health care and other services would exceed $3 billion.
Rainy day funds and federal relief will help, but they aren’t a lasting solution
Thankfully, Alabama has three revenue sources to help avoid or reduce service cuts, at least temporarily. Lawmakers have established two rainy day funds – essentially lines of credit – within the Alabama Trust Fund that the governor can tap to address major budget shortfalls. The ETF also has a reserve fund called the Budget Stabilization Fund, which can be tapped if revenues aren’t enough to cover budgeted expenses.
The governor can authorize withdrawal of no more than 14% total of the prior year’s education spending from a combination of the Budget Stabilization Fund and the ETF Rainy Day Fund. That amounts to around $997.6 million. And the state can withdraw 10% of prior-year spending for other services from the GF Rainy Day Fund, which comes to $219.2 million.
Between the two budgets, the governor could withdraw $1.2 billion from rainy day accounts. But to maintain current funding levels, Alabama still would need another $1.8 billion if this downturn matches the Great Recession.
COVID-19’s budgetary threats don’t end there. Local governments also will need relief, and this fiscal crisis may be even worse than 2009. If a 2020 recession spirals into a depression, we will be facing some very dark days without new tax revenue to make them brighter.
The path to stronger, more inclusive budget and tax policies for Alabama
Alabama could respond to these steep revenue losses with harmful cuts to education, mental health care, public health and other critical needs. Or the state could make the wiser choice of raising sustainable new revenue to invest in the common good.
Our partners at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said it best: “For states facing catastrophic revenue declines, asking more of taxpayers with a clear ability to pay is far preferable to cutting state budgets, which would lead to mass layoffs, steep cuts in public services, and a downward spiral in the economy.”
Year after year, Alabama legislators have built a series of bare-bones budgets on one-time funds and temporary federal aid. They’ve refused to modernize our state’s upside-down tax system by making it more progressive and more fair for struggling families. And they’ve refused to ask large corporations and wealthy people who can afford to pay more to contribute their fair share to support the common good.
There’s a better way. The progressive tax changes we propose would protect education, health care and other services from devastating cuts during the COVID-19 recession. They also would allow our state to expand Medicaid and ensure all Alabamians can get the health care they need to survive and thrive, both during this pandemic and in the long recovery ahead. If we want a brighter future for Alabama, we need to invest in it now.
Life is changing quickly for everyone during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. Protecting yourself and your family from the virus is the first of many concerns. The pandemic also has left many Alabamians worried about food, health care, housing, job security and other basic needs.
Alabama has a safety net of public assistance programs that can help people through hard times. And Alabama Arise wants to help people connect with the help they need. Use this guide to find services that may fit your needs now, even if you weren’t eligible before.
Response efforts are changing rapidly, so check back for updates to this resource guide as new information becomes available. Email info@alarise.org if you have any questions or recommendations for additional resources.
Below is a table of contents covered in this guide. Click on each topic to go to its corresponding section.
Know the major symptoms of COVID-19: cough, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Other symptoms may include aches, chills, diarrhea, headache, severe vomiting, sore throat, tiredness or new loss of smell or taste.
If you experience these symptoms, call your doctor first to get advice on testing and care. Free testing is available at state testing sites. Charges may apply at other testing sites.
If you do not have a doctor, call the Alabama COVID-19 Hotline 24/7 at 888-264-2256 for testing sites and hours of operation near you. Note: This hotline does not provide medical advice.
If you are uninsured, you may be able to get free treatment for conditions related to COVID-19. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes a $100 billion emergency fund for health care providers. “As a condition of receiving funds under this program, providers will be forbidden from balance billing the uninsured for the cost of their care,” the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced. Check with your local hospital or clinic about this.
Prolonged in-home isolation can mask incidents of family abuse and violence, especially toward children, seniors or people with disabilities. People who report abuse or neglect are protected from legal action in response to their reporting.
Members of certain professions are mandatory reporters, meaning they must report suspected or known abuse or neglect. These professions include chiropractors, clergy members, coroners, day care workers or employees, dentists, doctors, law enforcement officials, medical examiners, mental health professionals, nurses, optometrists, osteopaths, pharmacists, podiatrists, social workers and teachers and school officials.
– If you are experiencing domestic violence (that is, if someone in your family or someone you’re in a relationship with is hurting or threatening you), call the Alabama domestic violence hotline at 800-650-6522. This hotline is answered 24/7, and you do not have to give your name to get help.
– To report suspected child abuse or neglect, including failure to seek medical treatment, call your county Department of Human Resources or local law enforcement. Do not email reports of suspected abuse or neglect, as they may not get prompt attention.
– To report elder abuse, call the Adult Abuse Hotline at 800-458-7214.
– To report abuse in an assisted living facility or nursing home, call 800-356-9596.
Other contact numbers to know
– If you need legal help anywhere in Alabama to protect your right to disability services, call the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) at 205-348-4928 or use the online intake form here.
– If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the sexual assault hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). You will be connected with a trained sexual assault service provider in your area.
– If you are experiencing homelessness and need shelter, call 2-1-1 and ask for a list of shelters in your area.
– If you need legal help for a problem related to COVID-19, call Legal Services Alabama at 877-393-2333 or click here.
– To report COVID-19-related price gouging or scams, contact these hotlines:
The Alabama Attorney General’s Consumer Complaint Hotline: 800-392-5658 or 334-242-7335 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday).
The National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline: 866-720-5721 or disaster@leo.gov.
Health care and insurance
The risk of COVID-19 exposure, complications and death varies widely by job, age and health condition. That’s why the new vaccines are being offered in phases, with those deemed at highest risk getting the first doses.
As of April 5, 2021, all Alabamians age 16 and older are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Supply shortages have been a major obstacle in Alabama’s vaccination rollout, but new vaccine products and a manufacturing push are improving the outlook. For more information, visit alabamapublichealth.gov.
Important information about the COVID-19 vaccines
Here are some important things to know about the vaccines:
All approved vaccines have been through the full testing process for any U.S. vaccine. They’ve come out more quickly because testing and manufacturing were scaled up for the emergency.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine comes in one dose. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines come in two doses, several weeks apart. If you get either of those, you will need to get the second dose of the same vaccine you got the first time. The person who gives you your vaccine will explain how to get your follow-up shot.
Your health care provider is your best source of information about the vaccine and how to get it. If you don’t have a regular provider, contact your county health department or a local clinic about how and when to get the vaccine.
The vaccine will be free to everyone. Some providers may charge an administrative fee. If you cannot pay the fee, tell your provider. You can still get the vaccine.
Lots of false information is circulating about the vaccines. Be sure to confirm anything you hear or read with information from a reliable source, such as your health care provider, your county health department or a local clinic.
Vaccines are being distributed as soon as they are available. Because the supply is limited at this stage, it’s important to follow official guidance on which phase is the one for you. In the meantime, continue taking precautions and be patient. Everyone will have the opportunity to get the vaccine.
COVID-19 puts people without health insurance at special risk for delayed care and financial disaster. Federal and state governments are making changes to help people who are uninsured or at risk of losing coverage.
COVID-19 care
If you are uninsured, you may be able to get free treatment for conditions related to COVID-19. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes a $100 billion emergency fund for health care providers. “As a condition of receiving funds under this program, providers will be forbidden from balance billing the uninsured for the cost of their care,” the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced. Check with your local hospital or clinic about this.
Medicaid
Courtesy of Alabama Medicaid Agency
If you had Medicaid coverage of any kind during March 2020, or if you become eligible later, your coverage will not be terminated for any reason before the crisis has ended, unless you cancel it yourself or move out of Alabama. This includes postpartum coverage for women who recently have given birth. If your case was open in March but has already closed, please be patient. Medicaid will reopen your case very soon.
To help keep your Medicaid from ending after the emergency:
Report any information changes.
Renew your Medicaid at the scheduled time.
If you have Medicaid coverage, you do not have to pay co-pays to the hospital, doctor’s office, pharmacy or for medical equipment and supplies during the coronavirus emergency.
If you are younger than 65 and have lost your job, regular pay or hours in the coronavirus emergency, you have a few options. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) passed by Congress in March provides new assistance with health coverage:
Through Sept. 30, 2021, people eligible for COBRA continuation coverage after loss of employer-based coverage won’t have to pay any premiums. Note: If you become eligible for a new group plan or Medicare while on COBRA, you must notify your insurer. Failure to do so will result in a cash penalty.
Depending on income level, premiums for Marketplace plans are reduced or eliminated for 2021 and 2022 under ARPA.
Find out if you and your family can get health insurance through Medicaid, ALL Kids or the Marketplace.
To explore your Marketplace coverage options, visit healthcare.gov or call 800-318-2596.
For enrollment assistance, call Enroll Alabama at 844-248-7698 or email enrollalabama@gmail.com.
Alabama has 17 community health centers, with more than 165 locations across the state, that provide comprehensive primary care and preventive services on a sliding fee scale, regardless of patients’ insurance status. Services include:
COVID-19 vaccination
COVID-19 testing
General primary medical care
Diagnostic laboratory and radiology
Preventive screenings
Well check-ups
Dental services
Immunizations
OB-GYN care
Pharmaceutical services
Other services that vary by location (mental health care, optometry, substance use disorder treatment, etc.)
To find the nearest health center, visit Find My Health Center and enter your ZIP code. Or call the Alabama Primary Health Care Association at 888-322-7068 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some details of operation are changing because of COVID-19, so call your local center before visiting.
Financial assistance for COVID-related funeral expenses
Thousands of Alabama families have lost loved ones to COVID-19. One of the hidden burdens of the pandemic is the cost of funerals. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offers financial assistance for COVID-related funeral expenses incurred after Jan. 20, 2020.
Call this dedicated toll-free phone number to get a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance application completed with help from FEMA’s representatives. Multilingual services are available:
COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line Number
844-684-6333 | TTY: 800-462-7585
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time
Get answers to frequently asked questions about the application process on FEMA’s Funeral Assistance FAQ page
Living with disabilities and mental illness
If you or someone you know lives with a disability or mental illness and needs help during the COVID-19 crisis, use this guide from Disability Rights and Resources to find relevant resources by topic and location.
If you need legal help anywhere in Alabama to protect your right to disability services, call the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) at 205-348-4928 or use the online intake form here.
Alabama has a network of nonprofit food banks that collect, store and distribute groceries to food pantries, where families can get free food directly. To learn more about food assistance in your area and find a local food pantry, check out the Auburn Justice Center’s food pantry map. Or contact the food bank nearest you:
Alabama’s food banks also operate the Senior Box Program, which provides USDA-donated foods to eligible seniors through a monthly food package. Seniors must be 60 years of age or older and have a household income at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level. To apply to receive a Senior Box, a person should call the food bank that serves their area.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Alabama provides federal food assistance through SNAP (formerly known as food stamps). Monthly SNAP benefits help eligible households with low incomes buy the food they need to maintain good health. Loss of income in the COVID-19 crisis has made many more families eligible for SNAP.
In response, Congress has increased SNAP benefits for eligible families in three important ways. First, families who would normally receive less than the maximum SNAP benefit because of their income had their benefits increased to the maximum benefit for their household size. Second, all SNAP recipients now receive an additional 15% in SNAP assistance. Third, households that did not receive increased benefits because they were already receiving the maximum for their household size became eligible for an additional emergency allocation beginning in April 2021.
Emergency benefits may be distributed on a different day than regular benefits for administrative reasons. Alabama must request emergency benefits on a monthly basis, but this is done routinely. During the pandemic emergency, the extra benefits are expected to continue without interruption.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a supplemental nutrition program for pregnant or breastfeeding women; women who had a baby within the last six months; infants; and children under age 5. To receive WIC benefits in Alabama, an individual or family must meet all of these requirements:
Have a nutritional risk that healthier food could improve.
If you think you may qualify, call your county health department to make an appointment, or call 888-942-4673 for further information. The Alabama WIC Program offers free communication assistance at each clinic location. During the coronavirus emergency, the health department is conducting interviews and nutrition assessments by phone.
If you or your children are approved for WIC, you will be prescribed a specific package of food based on your nutritional assessment. You will receive a debit-like card called an EBT (electronic benefits transfer) card that you can use to purchase food from your personalized food package. Learn more about WIC food options here. Your options will be based on your age and need. Not everyone approved for WIC will be able to get every food item on the list. During the coronavirus emergency, the Department of Public Health is allowing some substitutions if not all the food in your package is available in the grocery store. Your grocer can help you figure out what you can substitute for a WIC food that is unavailable. Congress has also increased the WIC benefit for fruits and vegetables by up to $35 per month for each recipient.
School meals and extension of Summer Food Service Program
The 2020-21 school year began with many uncertainties for classrooms and school cafeterias. Despite detailed USDA guidelines for distributing school meals, child nutrition staff grappled with implementing practical methods to serve meals to incoming students. While some districts opted for on-site learning plans and specified food service procedures, most relied on virtual learning curriculums and grab-and-go meals for remote learners.
Parents and child nutrition staff received relief when Congress extended the Summer Food Service Program through the 2020-21 school year. Extending this program ensures that all school-age children receive school meals at no charge to parents. Elevated COVID-19 rates have forced some school districts to convert to remote or hybrid learning methods and accompanying grab-and-go meal options. Plans continue to vary from district to district and are likely to change in response to local conditions and experiences. To get updates on your school’s nutrition plan, contact your local board of education.
When schools were closed or went to hybrid schedules, millions of children lost access to school meals. In response, Congress created a special program called Pandemic EBT (P-EBT). P-EBT provides children normally eligible for free or reduced priced meals with the same benefits as the National School Lunch Program ($6.82 a day for each child not receiving meals at school, prorated for children attending school on a hybrid schedule). These benefits are delivered to each individual child on a debit-like card issued by the Food Assistance Division of the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR). Estimates are that more than half a million Alabama children will receive P-EBT for the 2020-21 school year.
No application is required to receive P-EBT benefits. The Alabama State Department of Education will provide eligible children’s information to the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Families who experience a decrease in income may apply for free or reduced-price meals at their child’s school to become eligible for P-EBT.
Each eligible school-aged child will receive a debit-like card on which their benefits will be loaded. Parents should maintain those cards so that they can receive a second round of assistance. P-EBT benefits will remain active and usable for 365 days from the date issued.
Details on P-EBT allotments
The first round of P-EBT will be sent to eligible children by mid-July 2021 and will be retroactive to August 2020. These P-EBT benefits will be issued in two allotments: one covering August to December 2020, and the second covering January to May 2021. The amount of each child’s benefit will be based on whether the child’s assigned school schedule is (1) mostly virtual, (2) mostly in-person or (3) hybrid.
Children attending a mostly virtual school will receive the equivalent of 18 days of benefits for each month that the school operated under a virtual learning plan 50% of the school year. Children attending a hybrid school will receive the equivalent of nine days of benefits for each month that the school operated under a hybrid learning plan. Those children attending a mostly in-person school are not eligible for P-EBT during any month when the school operated mostly in-person. Children whose parents elected to have them attend school virtually will be eligible for the full allotment.
P-EBT card distribution is scheduled to begin in mid-June, but because so many children are eligible to receive a card, it will take until mid-July before all cards are mailed and received by eligible families. DHR’s toll-free customer service hotline for P-EBT questions is 800-410-5827. Parents are encouraged to wait until mid-July to call the hotline about the status of their cards because many cards still will be in the mail before that date. The hotline is available from 7 a.m to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parents who want to ensure their children’s cards are sent to the right address should check the address on file with their school(s). Parents can correct addresses by calling the hotline after July 15 when the first round of cards has been mailed out.
Further background on P-EBT eligibility
In October, Congress expanded P-EBT to include children under 6 living in a household receiving SNAP food assistance and in a county in which at least one school has operated virtually or in a hybrid model. If at least one school in the county was completely virtual, eligible young children in that county will receive the full P-EBT benefit. If no school in the county was virtual but at least one school in the county had a hybrid model, eligible young children will receive the prorated benefit.
P-EBT for eligible children under 6 will be retroactive to October 2020, when the law creating the benefit was passed, and will be received in two payments later in the summer of 2021. These benefits will be added to the household’s current SNAP EBT card.
Senior nutrition programs
Alabama provides prepared meals for eligible seniors through several programs, some of which have changed their operation during the emergency. Any Alabamian aged 60 or over, or married to someone in that age group, is eligible. People with disabilities who live with an eligible participant or in a living community where the senior nutrition program operates are also eligible.
Meals on Wheels continues to operate in all regions, though some programs have suspended hot meal delivery because of reduced volunteer capacity and other factors. Alabama has received emergency funding to enroll new participants in Meal on Wheels during the pandemic. Click here for a list of Senior Meals Distribution Centers near you.
Beginning April 19, 2021, Senior Centers are allowed to reopen, at their option, but not for on-site serving of congregate meals. Centers that do reopen can allow clients to pick up meals or receive meals through home delivery. Participants in on-site Senior Center activities may also be provided a take-out meal when they leave the Center.
To find out more about senior nutrition programs and Senior Centers near you, contact your regional Area Agency on Aging. (See the list and contact info below.) Office closures and other challenges may require you to leave a message.
The state has stopped penalizing employers for higher employee use of UI benefits. If you’re laid off, make sure your employer knows its UI costs won’t rise if you file a claim. This removes the incentive to dispute it.
Alabama provides 14 to 20 weeks of basic UI compensation. Five more weeks are available for people in job training programs, which face an uncertain status during the pandemic.
Compensation ranges from $45 to $275 weekly.
Payments equal 1/26 of the wages you earned in the two highest quarters, up to the weekly limit of $275.
The federal government provides a $300 weekly supplement to Alabama UI claims through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). You do not need to file any additional paperwork beyond your UI claim to receive the federal supplement.
If you lose your job or hours and need to file or reopen a claim, follow the steps here or call 866-234-5382 (select option 2). Note: Filing a claim requires patience. The website is complicated, and current call volume is high.
Some people in the labor force do not qualify for traditional unemployment insurance (UI) compensation. But many will be covered under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act’s provision for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. You are federally eligible for PUA if you are ineligible for regular UI compensation and you are out of work or have lost working hours because of COVID-19.
This provision applies to:
Independent contractors who have not participated in the UI system.
Workers who have not earned enough wages to get UI benefits.
Workers who earned wages in too few quarters to qualify for UI benefits.
“Gig workers,” such as rideshare drivers, online sellers and pet-sitters.
The process for filing for PUA is the same as filing a UI claim. ARPA extended PUA eligibility through September 6, 2021.
Eligible people who missed a filing deadline or did not receive the full amount to which they were entitled still can receive the full amount of their relief payments. If this applies to you, claim the Recovery Rebate Credit when filing federal income taxes for the 2020 filing year. The deadline for 2020 returns is May 15, 2021.
If you’re eligible and have a bank account, your payment will be sent there. If you don’t have a bank account, the IRS will send a check or prepaid debit card. Direct deposits usually arrive within one to two weeks if there are no errors in the information provided. Checks and prepaid debit cards often take longer.
Stimulus payments for people who didn’t receive them automatically
The CARES Act created Economic Impact Payments of $1,200 for each eligible adult and $500 for each eligible child. A second round of relief payments of $600 per adult went out early in 2021. And the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in March 2021, will provide $1,400 payments for most Americans. Not everyone who is eligible for these relief payments have received them because they may not earn enough to owe federal taxes and, therefore, don’t file federal income tax returns. Others don’t receive Social Security, veterans’ benefits or other direct federal payments and therefore did not receive relief payments through those agencies.
To receive relief payments, the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit described below, you must file a federal income tax return even if you don’t owe any federal taxes. Information on where you can get help filing income taxes is below.
You must have a Social Security number to receive the payments. But unlike with the first two rounds of relief payments, families with mixed immigration status are eligible for the third round. Anyone who has a Social Security number and is otherwise income-eligible can receive the payment. Children with Social Security numbers can get the payment even if both parents file their taxes with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.
Eligible people who missed a filing deadline or did not receive the full amount to which they were entitled still can receive relief payments. If this applies to you, claim the Recovery Rebate Credit when filing federal income taxes for the 2020 filing year. Click here to find out how to make a claim if you have not received your first or second relief payment. If you’re eligible and have a bank account, your payment will go there. If you don’t have a bank account, the IRS will send a check or prepaid debit card.
Relief payments will not count toward eligibility for means-tested programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and public housing.
Important new changes to the Child Tax Credit
Prior to passage of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), some parents received a reduced child tax credit because their earnings — and the taxes they owed on them — were too low. ARPA changes this for one year (2021) by making the child tax credit fully refundable and, therefore, available for families with low earnings or no earnings. It also increases the credit’s maximum amount to $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for children through age 17.
To receive the child tax credit, parents can file income taxes even if they have too little income to owe taxes orthey can complete the IRS’s Child Tax Credit Non-filer Sign-up Tool if they don’t owe federal taxes and don’t intend to file a tax return. If a person has not received the full amount of the first or second Economic Impact Payment (stimulus), the same form can be used to claim these payments from the IRS.
Important changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
The EITC helps low-income, working families with children but has been much less helpful for taxpayers who do not have children in the home. The American Rescue Act changed this by raising the maximum EITC for workers without children to approximately $1,500. It also raises the income cap for adults without children to at least $21,000 and cover working, non-student adults between 19 and 24 and above 65. The expansion of the EITC can provide extra income for working people without children, even if their incomes are too low for them to owe taxes.
Where to get help filing taxes
To receive your relief payment, the EITC and the Child Tax Credit, you will need to file your 2021 federal taxes even if you don’t have enough income to owe any taxes. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly Program (TCE) both offer free help filing your taxes and claiming the tax credits and payments for which you qualify. You can find a VITA site near you here. The AARP Foundation offers both in-person and remote tax filing assistance for anyone, but with a special focus on older and low-income taxpayers.
Help paying for internet and computers
During the pandemic emergency, access to reliable internet has become a necessity for work and for school. Families that are struggling to afford internet services can apply for the federal Emergency Broadband Benefit. This benefit provides a discount up to $50 per month for internet service and a one-time discount of up to $100 for the purchase of a computer or tablet from participating providers.
To be eligible, a family has to have an income below 135% of poverty or receive SNAP, Medicaid or other means-tested benefits or be approved to receive free or reduced-price school meals (including through Community Eligibility) or receive a Pell Grant or have experienced a substantial loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more, to see if your internet provider participates in the program and to apply, visit the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit page.
Help for small and minority farmers
Black, Hispanic and Native American farmers have long suffered discrimination receiving USDA loans and grants. In an effort to begin reparations for this history, the American Rescue Plan included $4 billion in debt relief for Black, Indigenous and people of color farmers who have Farm Services Association loans. To learn more and find out how to apply for this funding, click here.
Help for small businesses
While the Paycheck Protection Program which provided forgivable loans for small businesses has ended, the American Rescue Plan includes several sources of new relief for small businesses, particularly restaurants and entertainment venues. To find out more about these new sources of business assistance click here.
Housing and utilities assistance
Federal and state governments have taken numerous steps to protect people from loss of housing and essential utilities during the COVID-19 emergency.
Eviction moratorium
On Aug. 26, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an unsigned opinion vacating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) placed a moratorium on evictions for most Americans. This leaves Alabamians without any protections against eviction for inability to pay rent because Gov. Kay Ivey lifted state-level eviction protections June 1, 2020.
Emergency rental assistance funds are being disbursed through several agencies in the state. Check the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s website to determine which agency you should contact to apply for rental assistance in your area. Landlords also can apply for assistance through this program. Having both landlords and tenants apply will help funds be distributed to applicants more quickly. While disbursements have been slow through most of the state, the pace of application processing has increased since July. Applying as soon as you have trouble making rent also will help your application to be processed sooner.
If you have received a notice to vacate, contact Legal Services Alabama immediately at 866-456-4995 (English) or 888-835-3505 (Español). You do not have a legal obligation to move out of your home because of that notice. If you become homeless due to eviction or any other reason, call 2-1-1 for shelter referral and rapid rehousing assistance.
Housing assistance
You also can call 2-1-1 or visit 211connectsalabama.org if you need help paying rental deposits, first month’s rent or a mortgage payment. Ask for a referral to an agency that receives Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing funds. These funds can be used to prevent evictions, help cover the costs of a new rental or cover utility bills that may lead to loss of housing. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) has received $23 million for homelessness assistance and relief. Local nonprofit agencies have received these ADECA funds and can make rent and utility payments for people who are behind.
The Alabama Housing Financing Authority administers a separate fund of $263 million that can help with past due rent and utilities. To find out more and apply for assistance, call 833-620-2434 or click here.
Further, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) added $25 billion nationally to prior amounts appropriated for housing assistance. You may be eligible for assistance for rent, back rent, utility costs and past due utility costs. This provision allows up to 18 months of assistance for households potentially facing homelessness.
If your income is very low and you need help paying rent, the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) may be able to help with short-term assistance. You can find your local DHR office here.
If you are in an unstable housing situation, call the Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama at 205-939-0411.
If your landlord changes locks or cuts off utilities to force you out, call Legal Services Alabama at 866-456-4995.
Keeping your electricity and water services active
No statewide process exists for utility assistance, but some utility payment assistance funds are available through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
If you need utility bill payment assistance through LIHEAP, contact the Community Action Agency (CAA) serving the county where you live. Find your local CAA here.
The Alabama Housing Financing Authority administers a separate fund of $263 million that can help with past due rent and utilities. To find out more and apply for assistance, call 833-620-2434 or click here.
If you are unable to pay your utility bills, call your utility provider and ask for a deferment.
Additional information
To find other assistance in your area, call the statewide helpline at 2-1-1. This number will connect you to your area’s information and referral system. You also can click here to search for local help online. 2-1-1 is available 24/7 by phone and online to help you find assistance with clothing, employment, food, health care, housing, legal problems and other needs from government and non-government agencies.
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State and federal leaders have taken action to help struggling Alabamians stay healthy and make ends meet amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but they must do more. Arise’s Robyn Hyden gives a video update on the coronavirus’ implications for Medicaid expansion, public health funding, food assistance, unemployment insurance, paid family and medical leave, prisons and jails, and other concerns.
Like all of you, we’re doing what we can to weather this crisis, and we have many concerns about the health and well-being of our families and communities. Arise executive director Robyn Hyden highlights some resources on our website that can help you navigate new SNAP and unemployment insurance benefits available for people who need immediate assistance.
The economic meltdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has created an extraordinary demand for food assistance. State agencies are working overtime to figure out how to get food to hungry Alabamians while schools are closed, people are sheltering in place and the risk of infection is high. Applications for food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are at record highs as unemployment soars.
Unlike earlier recessions, which rolled out more slowly, the COVID-19 downturn happened virtually overnight. That has left state agencies scrambling to keep up with the demands for help, the implementation of new federal policies, and the virus threat to their workforce and clients. And they are doing it against a backdrop of decades of inadequate state funding, which led to smaller workforces and delayed implementation of new technologies that could have helped address the current crisis.
The Families First Act includes a nationwide, temporary suspension of SNAP’s three-month assistance time limit for able-bodied adults under age 50 and without children in their SNAP household. Officials reinstated this time limit in 2016 after the Great Recession ended. Since then, tens of thousands of Alabama SNAP participants have been cut off the program. People who lost food assistance because of the time limit are now eligible again under the new federal law. But it is unclear how officials will notify them of their restored eligibility.
Increased assistance for most families
The Families First Act authorizes states to give people additional SNAP benefits up to the maximum amount allowed for their household size. This will be an enormous help for hundreds of thousands of struggling Alabamians. Unfortunately, the poorest families – those already receiving the maximum benefit – will not receive an increase.
The increased benefits for March were added to participants’ EBT cards around the end of March. And participants will see this month’s increased benefits added to EBT cards around the end of April. DHR will approve new SNAP participants for assistance at the maximum level for their household size.
Replace school meals with SNAP and SNAP-like assistance
The Families First Act allows states to provide school meal replacement assistance of around $114 per child per month. This aid can come through SNAP or another mechanism if the children attend a school that is closed and otherwise would receive free or reduced-price school meals. This would include all children who are certified as eligible for free breakfast and lunch. It also would include all children who attend a school that provides free meals to all enrolled students through the Community Eligibility Provision.
Since all public schools in Alabama are closed for the rest of the semester, households already receiving SNAP could simply see their SNAP assistance increased by the value of school meals that children in the family previously received. However, Alabama hasn’t yet decided how to give SNAP-like “issuances” to such families who are not already enrolled in SNAP. Participants cannot receive school meal replacement benefits until DHR and the state Department of Education agree on a plan and get approval from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).
Reduced administrative burdens
The Families First Act allows states to request policy changes to streamline SNAP procedures to keep up with increased demand. For example, a state could ask to make certification periods longer or waive interviews with new participants. States also could seek to reduce the amount of information that must be verified and simplify the verification process. Alabama already has streamlined many procedures, but it should make additional SNAP administrative changes to reduce waiting time for approvals. Thus far, DHR has not requested any administrative waivers from FNS.
What should happen next
Anti-hunger advocates had hoped the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act – the third federal law in response to the pandemic – would include a 15% increase for SNAP. Unfortunately, this increase was not in the final bill enacted March 27.
Alabama Arise and other advocates still encourage Congress to increase overall SNAP assistance and raise the minimum benefit levels. Congress also should prohibit the USDA from moving forward with proposed rule changes that would limit SNAP access and reduce benefits for most participants.
These SNAP improvements would boost the economy by increasing consumer spending. Most importantly, they would help families get the nutrition they need to stay healthy during this pandemic and beyond.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented increase in unemployment insurance claims nationally. And the story is the same in Alabama, where 74,056 UI claims were filed in the week ending Saturday, March 28. That’s easily a record high since 1987, the earliest year for which weekly data is available for Alabama. The number of claims likely will continue to increase quickly in the coming weeks.
The pandemic has highlighted the need for Alabama to lift harmful UI cuts and barriers that lawmakers erected last year. In the meantime, three types of state and federal payments can help Alabamians who have lost their jobs or have working hours reduced because of the pandemic. They are traditional unemployment insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and recovery rebates.
The Alabama Department of Labor (DOL) has taken some important steps to ease UI access during the pandemic. The DOL has waived its usual requirements for job searches and a one-week waiting period before benefits begin. Employers also will not be penalized with an increased UI tax rate based on high amounts of paid benefits for now. This removes a motivation for employers to dispute an employee’s claim for benefits.
Even Alabama’s maximum UI benefit amount is insufficient to secure the basic needs of many people. Fortunately, new federal legislation enacted Friday will help jobless workers fill that gap for the next few months. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act will allow Alabama to provide an additional 13 weeks of federally funded UI benefits. The CARES Act also will supplement state benefits by providing a federally funded $600 weekly benefit increase through July 31.
People who haven’t been working long enough to qualify for UI
Contract workers and gig workers
People who have exhausted regular UI benefits
People whose workplaces closed because of COVID-19
Caretakers of people sick with COVID-19
PUA participants will receive half of the average weekly regular UI benefit in Alabama. They are also eligible for the federally funded $600 weekly benefit increase available to beneficiaries of regular UI. Federal and state agencies are still working to implement guidelines for the new program.
The full rebate amounts are $1,200 for single adults and married couples who file taxes separately, and $2,400 for married couples filing jointly.
Families also will receive an additional $500 per dependent child under age 17. The $500 payment is unavailable for older dependents like college students, seniors or adults with disabilities.
Rebates will be paid in full to individuals making up to $75,000 per year and couples making up to $150,000 per year. These rebates are available to individuals or households who filed a tax return in either 2018 or 2019. Millions of Americans with extremely low incomes likely will have to file a return to receive the rebate.
The rebate phases down gradually for individuals who reported more than $75,000 in annual income and for couples who reported more than $150,000 in annual income. Payments will be unavailable to individuals with annual incomes of more than $99,000 and couples with annual incomes of more than $198,000.
Payments will arrive via direct deposit for those who have given the IRS their deposit information. Others will receive a check.
State changes to unemployment insurance still needed
UI benefit increases and removal of barriers are good first steps toward ensuring state and federal governments mitigate the economic consequences of COVID-19 as much as possible. The Alabama DOL’s response to the CARES Act has been quick and thorough. But the state still needs to take bold action in other areas to blunt the damage the pandemic will do to the economic health of the people of Alabama.
State lawmakers should build on the federal UI improvements in the CARES Act by undoing recent harmful policy changes. Alabama’s UI system offers fewer weeks of coverage than most other states because of a 2019 law sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur.
Orr’s measure reduced the maximum number of weeks an Alabamian could claim UI benefits from 26 – the standard in most states – to somewhere between 14 and 20, depending on the unemployment rate. It conditioned five additional weeks of benefits on participation in job training programs, some of which are now shut down because of COVID-19.
The 2019 law tied the maximum number of benefit weeks to the unemployment rate. Because Alabama’s published unemployment rates were unusually low recently, the number of benefit weeks is set at the lowest level, 14 weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic shows that published unemployment rates lag behind the reality that tens of thousands of Alabamians experience during crises.
The coronavirus pandemic threatens to trigger economic suffering unlike anything most of us have seen in our lifetimes. Alabama should help jobless workers endure this downturn by boosting weekly UI benefits and removing harmful barriers to unemployment assistance. Repealing the 2019 UI limits and restoring the full 26 weeks of state-funded benefits would be a great start.
The COVID-19 pandemic will strain Alabama’s health care system in unprecedented ways. Arise’s Jim Carnes discusses how Medicaid expansion, elimination of enrollment barriers and other policy changes would help Medicaid save lives during and after this outbreak.
State and local governments are responding in a variety of ways to the emergent coronavirus pandemic in Alabama. But that response thus far has fallen short where incarcerated people are concerned.
The Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) has more than 27,500 people in custody right now. (For context, that’s more people than live in Anniston, Homewood or Northport.) Thousands more sit in county and municipal jails. And the conditions in which most of them live are wretched.
Alabama’s correctional institutions are extremely understaffed and dangerously overcrowded. And even after the U.S. Department of Justice warned the state last year about the system’s shortcomings, some of those problems are getting worse.
Quick, targeted releases would lessen harm and save lives
Temporarily halting visitation, as the DOC is doing, is one step to slowing the spread of infections in Alabama’s corrections system. But reducing the overcrowding in jails and prisons is also vital to limiting COVID-19 deaths. Here are a few ways state and local officials could do that:
The DOC should expand medical furlough for prisoners. Jails also should release nonviolent offenders. Medical furlough allows prisoners with medical conditions, including diseases that result from aging, to be released to treat those diseases.
Officials should allow high-risk incarcerated seniors to go home to the greatest extent reasonable under the law. That would reduce the danger of infection and make a pandemic more manageable in prisons. People over age 60 and people with some ailments correlated with aging, like cardiovascular disease, are at greater risk of serious illness if infected.
Local jails should keep their cells as empty as possible. All incarcerated people with no history of violence and no charges pending for violent crimes should be released without requiring money bail. And people arrested for nonviolent crimes should be released on their own recognizance or with reasonable monitoring conditions. Slowing the coronavirus outbreak is more important than keeping people who aren’t accused of violent crimes locked up. Circuit Judge Ben Fuller’s order last week for jails in Autauga, Chilton and Elmore counties to release anyone with a bond of $5,000 or less was a good step in that direction.
Weak, slow responses would mean worse outbreaks and more deaths
The COVID-19 pandemic layers a public health crisis on top of the state’s prison crisis. And the DOC’s response so far has unfortunately been too timid to stop the rapid spread of the virus if it reaches prisons. Many city and county jails also haven’t laid out detailed policies to address COVID-19.
The DOC has issued a perfunctory statement that it is following CDC recommendations. But the CDC recommendations aren’t focused on jails or prisons. And they don’t address inmate holding practices or recommend circumstances for release. The DOC is attempting to reduce the number of person-to-person contacts by stopping work release and suspending in-person legal visits. But these steps alone are unlikely to do enough to protect people who are in custody or who work at the facilities.
Alabama is running short on time to get this response right. An employee at an unnamed state prison already has tested positive for COVID-19, the DOC announced last week. A widespread outbreak could tear quickly through Alabama’s overcrowded prisons and jails, jeopardizing hundreds or thousands of lives. State and local leaders must take quick, meaningful action right now to reduce the risk of that nightmarish scenario.
To: Gov. Kay Ivey and Commissioner Stephanie Azar
From: The Undersigned Alabama Organizations
Re: Alabama’s Policy Response to COVID-19
Date: March 19, 2020
Thank you both for your leadership, especially at this critical time. Alabama’s health care system, like most others around the world, is facing severe stresses with the COVID-19 pandemic. Seniors and people with underlying health conditions, including people with disabilities, appear to be at most serious and immediate risk from the virus. Alabamians with low income and those who lack health insurance are also high-risk groups, because their options for responding to the health threat and related challenges are limited. In the best of times, public services that provide health care for the most vulnerable Alabamians form the backbone of the health system that protects us all. A health emergency only heightens the need for Alabama’s state health agencies to be as strong as we can make them.
Federal law gives states wide flexibility in using their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (ALL Kids in Alabama) to respond to health emergencies and other disasters. They can expand eligibility and benefits and take steps to make it easier for people to enroll and stay enrolled. The options below include some that Alabama Medicaid has adopted already, many that could be implemented in short order and some that could be requested now for future use. They are in keeping with the important recognition by Governor Ivey and President Trump that COVID-19 requires a bold, timely and comprehensive response.
A few things to consider:
People who are eligible for Medicaid can enroll at any time – the “open enrollment” period is year-round.
Alabama Medicaid is a “bare-bones” program that has some of the nation’s most stringent eligibility limits.
More than 220,000 Alabamians with low incomes are uninsured. Another 120,000 are struggling to pay for work-based or private plans they can’t afford.
President Trump has signed a bill that would give states a temporary 6.2 percentage point increase in its federal share of Medicaid funding. For Alabama, that would mean a boost of $380 million for the one-year period starting retroactively on Jan. 1.
The pandemic poses critical challenges for certain groups, including people who depend on long-term services and supports at home and in community-based, intermediate and long-term facilities; people experiencing homelessness; and people with special health care needs related and unrelated to COVID-19.
Even if a state took up most or all of the emergency options, there would still be gaps in coverage for people who don’t meet Medicaid’s citizenship and immigration status rules.
Current Alabama Medicaid policies that facilitate emergency response:
Alabama Medicaid already uses “presumptive eligibility” (PE) to provide temporary coverage for children, pregnant women and parent/caretaker relatives who are determined by a qualified hospital, on the basis of preliminary information, as likely to be eligible for Medicaid.
Alabama Medicaid already uses “express lane eligibility” (ELE) to renew children’s Medicaid eligibility automatically on the basis of income data available from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Alabama already uses the “continuous eligibility” option to provide children with 12 full months of coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (ALL Kids), even if the family’s income increases beyond the eligibility limit during the year.
Eligibility: Expanding coverage for the uninsured
Alabama can immediately expand eligibility by submitting state plan amendments (SPAs), applying for 1115 waivers (expedited on an emergency basis if CMS allows), and amending its section 1915 home- and community-based waivers for long-term care:
Governor Ivey can submit a SPA to expand coverage for adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty line with enhanced match (90 percent FMAP).
Governor Ivey can submit a SPA to increase eligibility for pregnant women, people with disabilities and seniors at the state’s regular FMAP.
Alabama can seek an emergency 1115 waiver for federal authority and matching funds to implement continuous coverage for women enrolled in pregnancy-related Medicaid through 12 months postpartum.
Alabama can adopt the “ICHIA” option to provide Medicaid and CHIP coverage to lawfully residing children and pregnant women. States can also provide prenatal care to women regardless of immigration status by extending CHIP coverage to the unborn child.
Alabama can eliminate or decrease asset tests for seniors and people with disabilities.
Alabama can modify its section 1915 home- and community-based services (HCBS) waivers to increase the number of “slots,” or openings for participants. CMS has a template to facilitate changes in section 1915 waivers. The template can also be used to provide additional services that are needed to address COVID-19.
Enrollment: Ensuring that all eligible people can easily enroll and get coverage
Alabama should maximize its use of presumptive eligibility (PE) by expanding the definition of qualified entities to include the state agency, community health centers and other community sites and by adding eligibility for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Alabama should develop a plan for follow-up to ensure eligibility of individuals beyond the PE period.
Alabama should outstation eligibility staff to the maximum extent possible.
Alabama should enroll people based on their self-attestation and follow up with verification requests only when the attestation is not compatible with electronic data sources.
States are required to provide a reasonable opportunity period of at least 90 days to individuals who attest they are citizens or have an immigration status that would make them eligible for benefits, as well as to those who don’t have a Social Security number. This means Alabama should enroll people and assist them in providing any documents they need after exhausting attempts to verify citizenship or status through electronic verification.
Alabama should add the school lunch program to the express lane eligibility data-sharing process for Medicaid eligibility.
Renewal: Keeping people covered
Alabama should temporarily delay renewals under authority to exceed time limits in emergency situations.
Under existing Medicaid rules, Alabama should maintain coverage for people temporarily residing out of state because of the coronavirus.
Benefits: Getting people the care they need
Alabama should submit a SPA to take up the option in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to ensure all necessary treatment and preventive services, including vaccines, are covered for all adults Medicaid beneficiaries without cost-sharing. States that take up this option receive a 1 percentage point bump in the FMAP for those services under section 4106 of the ACA.
Alabama should cover 90-day supplies of maintenance medications, allow advance refills and cover home delivery of prescription drugs.
Alabama should provide expanded benefits for affected populations through 1915(i) state option for home- and community-based services.
Alabama should educate providers on Medicaid coverage, especially the EPSDT benefit for children, guaranteeing that children receive regular screening exams and preventive care and all necessary follow-up diagnostic and treatment services.
Alabama should maximize the use of telehealth — including reimbursement for the full range of early intervention, treatment and rehabilitative services — to extend provider access and reduce direct personal contact during the pandemic.
Alabama should maximize coverage and awareness of emergency services available to people not eligible for Medicaid due to immigration status.
Continuity of care: Preventing disruption of services for people with special health care needs and disabilities
Thousands of Alabama Medicaid members depend on health services and daily living supports provided in home- and community-based settings and long-term care facilities. For these individuals, disruptions in care and assistance can be life-threatening.
Alabama must respect the rights of people with special health care needs and disabilities to make their own choices in all aspects of their COVID-19 contingency plan.
Alabama should waive all administrative requirements except federal and state background checks to allow on-the-spot hiring of personal care attendants by people receiving long-term services and supports.
Alabama should suspend or waive overtime-limiting regulations for personal assistance services to facilitate continuity of care when illness, quarantine and other factors reduce staff and support network capacity.
Alabama should guarantee personal assistance service providers paid sick time to encourage providers to stay home and decrease spreading infection.
Alabama should provide funding to community organizations such as Independent Living Centers and developmental disability service providers to establish or expand expedited recruitment processes for emergency backup assistance for all formal and informal, government and non-government supports and services to close COVID-19 gaps and keep people independent.
Bottom line
Use every tool available to protect Alabamians in the short, medium and long term.
These recommendations are adapted from analysis provided by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Learning Collaborative, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Disability Rights & Resources, and Accessible Alabama.
Signatories
The following organizations respectfully endorse these recommendations:
Accessible Alabama
AIDS Alabama
Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice
Alabama Arise
Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice
Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program
Alabama Faith Council
Alabama-Florida Episcopal District of the AME Zion Church
Alabama Institute for Social Justice
Alabama Justice Initiative
Alabama Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Alabama Rivers Alliance
Alabama Select ICN Consumer Advisory Committee
Alabama State Association of Cooperatives
Alabama State Conference of the NAACP
AME Church of Alabama
Disabilities Leadership Coalition of Alabama
Disability Rights & Resources
Faith and Works
Faith in Action Alabama
Fifth Episcopal District, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Greater Birmingham Ministries
Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama
Hometown Action
The Knights & Orchids Society
Medical Advocacy & Outreach
NAMI Alabama
National MS Society, Alabama
People First of Alabama
Planned Parenthood Southeast
Save Ourselves Coalition for Justice and Democracy
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America
Southern Poverty Law Center
United Cerebral Palsy of Alabama
VOICES for Alabama’s Children
The Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham
YWCA Central Alabama
Here at Alabama Arise, we share the uncertainty and worry that many of you may feel about COVID-19 and how best to prepare ourselves, help our neighbors and speak out for adequate resources and aid.
Our first priority is the physical and mental health and safety of our members, partners and staff, and of people living in poverty. More than 46% of adults in Alabama are at higher risk of developing serious illness if infected by COVID-19. And we believe dramatic and immediate behavioral changes will be necessary to help protect vulnerable people from infection.
As a result, we are following health experts’ social distancing recommendations. All staff will be working from home for the foreseeable future. We also will cancel travel plans and will conduct meetings via phone or videoconference where possible.
Despite these short-term adjustments, we remain extremely involved in ongoing policy analysis. And we remain committed to advocating, educating and organizing our communities to speak out for what is most needed.
Looking ahead
We are not sure how long these social isolation measures will remain in place. We recognize that most of the people we advocate for and with do not have the luxury of being able to work from home. This crisis will likely have catastrophic impacts on low-wage workers and low-income communities, worsening social and economic inequality.
As we consider how Alabama should respond to this crisis and the longer-term challenges it brings, please let us know how we can help you be a part of the conversation. That may be through timely policy information or analysis, targeted action alerts, remote convenings or other support.
Please take care of yourself, and each other. Thank you for all you do as we continue to work together to improve policies for people in poverty.
If you have a primary care doctor and think you may have coronavirus, contact your doctor for more information.
If you don’t have a health care provider or health insurance and think you may need to be tested for coronavirus, call the Alabama Department of Public Health’s hotline at 888-264-2256 for guidance.
Call 2-1-1 if you require immediate financial assistance.
