Benefits Set to Expire for 17,991 Philadelphians – Urge Your Members of Congress to Extend Unemployment Insurance

By -
The Unemployment Insurance program is a lifeline for millions of unemployed Americans and their families. Since January of 2009, there have been five job seekers for every one job opening. Despite continued efforts to find employment, the lack of demand for workers means that many must rely on their unemployment benefits to pay their bills and put food on their table. In addition to those seeking employment, communities and businesses also rely on unemployment benefits to ensure that they still have customers buying their products. For every dollar spent on unemployment benefits, the economy receives a boost equivalent to up to $1.90.

However, despite the need and benefits of the program the Pennsylvania Department of Labor’s Center for Workforce Information & Analysis estimates that unemployment benefits for 17,991 Philadelphia residents will expire in December. That figure far outpaces the cumulative total of 11,163 Philadelphians whose benefits expired between January 1 and August. 31.

In addition to the enormous jump in December, the increases will continue through April 2011. In January, 15,607 residents will lose unemployment compensation, followed by 11,272 in February 2011, 9,104 in March 2011 and 6,936 in April 2011. The numbers will also increase in the counties surrounding Philadelphia.

The significant increase in those losing benefits is due to the expiring of emergency unemployment compensation. This benefit is primarily for people who lost their jobs during the beginning of the recession. Congress can keep the program going for tens of thousands of Philadelphians and hundreds of thousands of Americans by extending the program. With only a few session days left before the program expires Congress must act quickly.

What can you do?
  • Sign the petition to Congress to continue unemployment insurance benefits
  • Send a letter to your member of Congress underscoring the importance of unemployment insurance benefits to family and economic well-being
Image courtesy of: http://www.ehow.com/how_5307448_apply-unemployment-benefits-unemployment-insurance.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted in the Media (#media)

By MB -
Image
Below are all of the places we've seen Overlooked and Undercounted in the month of May! If you know of anywhere else, please let us know! You can also listen to the audio from our May 11 Conference Call on our website . May 21, 2009 - New Report Says 1 in 5 PA Families Live in Poverty May 21, 2009 - LTE: Clarifying ‘Overlooked And Undercounted’ Study May 19, 2009 - Caught in a trap: State and federal governments must help working poor May 16, 2009 - Study: Local poverty estimates too conservative May 15, 2009 - Study: Pa. Families Above Poverty Level, But Still Struggling May 12, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA Families Struggling to Make Ends Meet May 12, 2009 - Report: Many PA families struggling May 12, 2009 - PathWays PA Releases New Report on Self-Sufficiency Standard May 12, 2009 - Poverty worse in PA than reported: study May 11, 2009 - 1 in 5 PA Households Can't Make Ends Meet May 11, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA residents can't make ends meet May 11, 2009 - 1 in
Read more