The Impact and Aftermath of Pandemic Aid for Financially Struggling Families

From March 2020 to March 2022, as the global COVID-19 pandemic raged, the U.S. government passed sweeping pandemic relief packages totaling more than $5 trillion. In a qualitative study of pandemic-era government spending and its impact on families, the Better Life Lab and our partners at the New Practice Lab organized focus groups, wrote ethnographic case studies, performed in-depth interviews, and produced original journalism. We found that for a brief and powerful moment, many families living in poverty had a glimpse of what a more stable, financially secure life might be like. Of all the pandemic aid, participants told us they benefited most from rental assistance and eviction moratoria, improved food benefits, an expanded Child Tax Credit and flexible, direct cash payments, broader access to Medicaid, and expanded unemployment insurance benefits. However, the policies’ brevity and piecemeal nature meant many participants’ families continue to struggle to get by today.

Eleven families and one child care provider showed that contrary to prevailing poverty narratives, families work hard, often in full-time jobs, and simply cannot make ends meet. The study demonstrates the power of telling fuller narratives of poverty from more diverse storytellers to better understand the barriers to U.S. families thriving and the changes needed to overcome them.