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If Unemployment Boost Isn't Renewed, Some Freelancers May Have To Leave LA
Michelle Faucheux lost work shooting commercials at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, and hasn't been able to get back on set for months. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
For many L.A. freelancers who’ve lost work during the coronavirus pandemic, the extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits passed by Congress has been a lifeline.
That money has covered their rent, paid for their health insurance and put food on their table at a time when work has, in many cases, completely dried up.
But that federal boost to unemployment is slated to go away at the end of July, and so far, there’s been no deal to renew it.
“Once the $600 goes away, I have no idea what we're going to do,” said Michelle Faucheux, a Silver Lake commercial producer who is considering moving home to New Orleans if the financial aid isn’t renewed.
Losing the weekly $600 wouldn’t just be hard on unemployment recipients like Faucheux. Experts say it could also upend California’s entire economy.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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