Since losing her job in March as a health clinic receptionist, Maryan Ali counted on combined state and federal unemployment benefits to keep her Roseville household afloat.
Then in late July, the bulk of her weekly check — a $600 federal allowance — went away. It left her to scrape together money for vital bills, skip other payments and rack up credit card debt to put food on the table.
Ali, a single mother of three, is banking on a new $300 per week boost through the Lost Wages Assistance program that Minnesota qualified for over the weekend. It relies on federal money and will pay for enhanced benefits for people whose jobs were disrupted by COVID-19.
“I don’t know how I’m going to pay my rent this month if I don’t get the $300,” Ali said. “I have a lot of bills to pay.”
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Steve Grove said he’s aware of the hardships facing people like Ali and is intent on getting the money out fast. He said once the U.S. Treasury sends Minnesota the money, payments could be turned around in a day or two. -- Brian Bakst, MPR News
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