Study reveals that Redwood City residents face problems meeting basic needs because of COVID-19, according to Gardner Center.
Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The economic and educational consequences due to the COVID-19 pandemic have had a far-reaching impact on a number of issues. School closures have resulted in limited access to food and medical care for children, while business closures have left Redwood City families unemployed and unable to afford basic necessities such as food and housing.
Thus, a large portion of Redwood City residents are struggling to meet their basic needs. A study being conducted by Gardner Center has highlighted that one-third of the people surveyed for the research responded that they have not paid rent and one-quarter have foregone medical care due to cost.
Meanwhile, half of the respondents who work full time also provide more than eight hours of child care per day. And one-fifth of respondents with school-age children reported not having a computer in their home.
Spanish-language respondents, compared to English-language respondents, were six times more likely to be food insecure and twice as likely to be housing insecure, which is a much larger difference than in other demographic comparisons.
Survey responses show that the majority of food insecure households - 75 percent - are aware of or receive local food services, but only a small proportion of food insecure renters - 25 percent - are aware of or receive rental assistance.
The proportion of unemployed or suspended respondents increased from 10 percent to 20 percent since COVID-19 arrived in March 2020.
When statistically weighting responses by race and household size, no changes in need rates were observed, "suggesting that our survey sample is representative of the broader Redwood City population," said Brandon Balzer-Carr, research associate at the Gardner Center.
For Kristin Geiser of the same research center, the impact of unmet needs on young people is compounded by prolonged isolation, anxiety and interruptions in developmentally appropriate learning, growth and development opportunities.
"Our findings will provide local organizations with information they can use to develop collaborative, strategic and effective approaches to meet the needs of youth and their families and, in turn, support community health and well-being," he noted.
The study, which is still ongoing, has conducted three community briefings of the survey results to audiences of direct service providers and elected officials, many of whom supported the survey recruitment.
"We have two more scheduled in the coming weeks. We have used these reports as an opportunity to identify further analysis that would be valuable to local stakeholders," Balzer-Carr said.
He added that several community leaders expressed interest in learning more about households with children 0-5 years old and immigrants, so analyses are currently being conducted for these groups.
Study reveals that Redwood City residents face problems meeting basic needs because of COVID-19, according to Gardner Center.
