Page 10 - HFA Dateline 2021 Q3 Fall

WHEN THE CRISIS CONTINUES

AND COMPOUNDS

Reflections on financial assistance in a pandemic

BY ALLISON HARRISON, MSW, HFA ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF SERVICES

Gavin and Nieve* were making ends social workers who spend our days groups and onboarded colleagues to
meet until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. hearing the needs of community temporarily staff the program.
Nieve lost two different jobs in 2020 members like Nieve and Gavin. The
when the companies that employed job is not just about determining What we suspected, but could
her lost business and laid off workers. eligibility, collecting information, not have fully imagined, was the
processing applications and paying devastating impact it would continue
Gavin, who has hemophilia A, picked bills. It’s about listening, validating and to have on our community 18+ months
up additional work even though it supporting. later. It affects finances, mental health,
was hard on his already damaged employment, family dynamics, school,
joints. Nieve found another job and It’s our job to let someone know physical health and so much more.
good income until April 2021 when they are not alone in their struggles,
supply chain issues led to another affirming that it is OK to cry, reflecting As the death toll from COVID-19 in
layoff. Gavin’s income and Nieve’s back to them the ways in which they the U.S. compounded from 150,000
unemployment benefits carried them have been resilient and coped with to 699,000 (and counting, with
through the summer of 2021 until difficult circumstances. more than 2,000 deaths per day),
Gavin had a series of bleeds and was community members’ challenges
let go because of his many absences In between logging data in Salesforce compounded, too. And referrals
from work. With only unemployment and creating check requests, we multiplied for Helping Hands and
benefits, they scrimped where they are staying up to date on policies assistance programs across the
could. They let the car insurance so we can provide the most useful country.
lapse, cut down on food expenses, let information to our applicants: Are
go of cable. they getting the child tax credit? Do We have exhausted and refreshed
they know that they may qualify for a HFA COVID-19 Relief grant funding
But sometimes when it rains, it pours. special insurance enrollment period? three times and are currently
In August, Nieve caught COVID-19 and We track trends and brace ourselves approving COVID-19 Relief
was hospitalized for 10 days. Then, for the end-of-month surge, the end- applications as needed with general
Gavin was in a car wreck and, without of-benefits surge, the holiday surge, Helping Hands funds. Helping Hands
insurance, could not afford to fix the the unexpected surge of referrals has paid 865 bills through COVID-19
car. Unemployment benefits ended that tells us it is a tough time for our Relief in the past 18 months, plus 330
in early September. And speaking of bleeding disorders family. bills for emergency assistance, 125
rain—did I mention that right before for items assistance, 20 for inhibitor
I spoke to them, a tree fell on their When the pandemic started in support and 35 for disaster relief since
house during a storm? the U.S., we knew it would hit the January 2020. We receive a dozen
community hard. On March 18, 2020, referrals a week from hemophilia
I am on the services team at HFA received the first Emergency treatment center social workers, home
Hemophilia Federation of America Assistance referral that mentioned health/pharmacy representatives and
(HFA). Our team operates the the coronavirus. Within four weeks local bleeding disorder organizations.
Helping Hands financial assistance we created the COVID-19 Relief
programs (Emergency Assistance, program. We secured funding, As of October 1, electric, gas
Items Assistance, Inhibitor Support, created the program guidelines and water utilities are no longer
Disaster Relief, COVID-19 Relief), and processes, built a new intake postponing disconnections. Some
Helping Forward program (for career and client relationship manager applicants are calling us via Wi-
and financial planning) and other structure, designed a web presence, Fi because their cellular phone
resources for the community. We are publicized the program to stakeholder service has been shut off. Several
10 DATELINE FEDERATION < www.hemophiliafed.org