UCLA research recommends closing this gap in financial aid

Residents of Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles are less likely to receive help with coronavirus

Neighbors are less likely to receive financial aid in downtown neighborhoods.

Photo:
Aurelia Ventura / Impremedia / La Opinion

56% of the majority Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles County have a high proportion of residents at high risk of not receiving individual aid funds of the federal Coronavirus Financial Aid, Relief and Security Act, known as the CARES Act, according to a UCLA report.

The document was written by researchers from the UCLA Latino Policy and Policy Initiative and the UCLA Neighborhood Knowledge Center.

Their findings provide information that local and state officials can use to focus resources and communication efforts in neighborhoods that are experiencing widespread economic problems. The CARES Act was approved by Congress in response to the economic upheavals associated with the COVID-19 pandemis and The measure includes payments to cover the basic needs of citizens.

"The global pandemic has highlighted cracks in our social safety net that often fail to catch those living in poverty, who are disproportionately people of color and immigrants," Sonja Diaz said, founding director of the UCLA Latino Policy and Policy Initiative and a co-author of the report.

"Entire neighborhoods will face economic uncertainty and a public health crisis and this is not the time to ignore their needs. We are as healthy as the most vulnerable, and many communities in Los Angeles County will need specific assistance, "said Barrios.

Los Angeles neighborhoods where residents are less likely to receive a financial aid check are concentrated in downtown Los Angeles, including Westlake / MacArthur Park, Koreatown, Chinatown, Skid Row and Pico Union.

People most at risk of not receiving relief funds tend to be low-income, minority members, and live primarily in tenant neighborhoods. Immigrants are also at high risk, according to the report.

"Lack of support puts entire communities at risk here in Los Angeles County and requires immediate attention," Paul Ong said, Lead author of the study and director of the Neighborhood Knowledge Center, located at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.

The report recommends that state and local governments in affected neighborhoods provide specific support, including cash assistance and other social benefits, regardless of the citizenship status of the recipients.

The report is the second analysis by the Latino Policy and Policy Initiative and the Neighborhood Knowledge Center on the economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis on underserved neighborhoods. A report released April 1 examined economic vulnerability due to the closure of the retail and service sector in Los Angeles County neighborhoods.

The UCLA Latino Policy and Policy Initiative addresses the most critical internal policy challenges facing communities of color in the states and localities of the United States by fostering innovative research, drawing on experience relevant to local policy.

The UCLA Neighborhood Knowledge Center is dedicated to translating its findings to inform neighborhood-related policies and programs that contribute to positive social change.

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