A new survey shows that half of the District’s children who live in households that rent their homes aren’t getting enough to eat, their families are behind on rent, or both.

The report comes from a five-week analysis of Census Bureau data collected from June 18 to July 21 by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank. The report reveals a bleak picture about the financial toll the COVID-19 pandemic is taking on D.C. residents, especially those with children. The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, a nonprofit advocacy organization, first reported out the survey.

The polling info comes from the Census Bureau’s weekly Household Pulse Survey, which has included results from millions of American adults each week since April.

In D.C., one in four adults with children say they can’t afford enough food for their kids, and 10 percent of adults in rental housing are behind on rent, per the survey. Another 12 percent of adults in the District — about 63,000 residents — reported that their household “sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last seven days.”

According to the CBPP study, Maryland’s data appeared similar to that of D.C. Fifty-one percent of children in renter households were not getting enough to eat, or were in households that were behind on rent during the survey period; compared to 33% of households that rent in Virginia.

The study also points out how the national economic fallout from the pandemic has been widespread, but that it’s been particularly detrimental to Black, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant households. DCFPI Policy Director Tazra Mitchell says this reflects problems that affected families during the Great Recession in the late 2000s.

“What we have to do if we don’t want to have another lost decade for Black and Brown workers and families is we have to be very intentional about building a just recovery,” Mitchell tells DCist/WAMU. “So how do we not only provide immediate relief for families, but also lay the groundwork to build more equitable systems and policies so people can actually get ahead and not be held back by structural racism? It will take political will to do that — not only at the federal level, but also with the [D.C.] mayor and D.C. Council.”

It’s far from the only study to show deep financial impact of the pandemic locally. In July, the Capital Area Food Bank reported that in the next year, as many as 250,000 more people in the region could become food insecure. That same study cited census data showing that the top 20% of households in the region make 29 times as much as those in the bottom 20%.

“Yes, food insecurity and inequity were significant problems prior to the pandemic,” Radha Muthiah, the food bank’s president and CEO, told DCist/WAMU at the time. “But what this report really highlights quite visually is that these gaps that we know existed before in our community have widened even further during the course of COVID and the economic downturn.”

Job insecurity has been just as prevalent as hunger in the region. Citing Department of Labor data, DCFPI says that unemployment claims are up 50 percent in D.C. compared to early April, with more than 90,000 people currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits or waiting for approval as of Aug. 1. In the last week, jobless claims in the region remained fairly steady, with increases in D.C. and Virginia and a modest decrease in Maryland.

Mitchell says the next federal COVID-19 relief package should provide more aid to D.C. and temporarily increase SNAP benefits, housing assistance, tax credits for working families, and unemployment benefits. (The $600-per-week supplement for individuals receiving federal aid expired at the end of July.)

The District also has a ban on evictions in place during the health emergency — Mitchell says boosting emergency rental assistance will be especially crucial when the eviction moratorium eventually ends altogether. “Literally, housing is healthcare right now,” she says.

In the previous federal aid package, the District received less than half the funding states received, prompting criticism from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Democratic leaders in Congress, who asked for equal funding for D.C. in the next bill.

The District was treated as a territory for the purposes of the March recovery bill, despite being more populous than two states and having more coronavirus cases than 19 states at the time it was passed.

“Things are bad, but they’re going to get worse if Congress doesn’t come up with a deal that not only gets states money that actually helps families as well,” Mitchell says. “Things will get worse, and they’ll be the worst for Black and Brown families, which hurts us all.”

Related: 

Food Insecurity Could Rise By 60 Percent In D.C. Region Due To Pandemic
Jobless Claims Fairly Steady In D.C. Region, As National Claims Rise Past 1 Million
What’s The Status Of Eviction Protections In D.C., Maryland, And Virginia?