By Michelle Fox, CNBC
Sharon Epperson, CNBC
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“I am counting on the stimulus check,” said one single mother working and helping her child through virtual school. According to a new survey, she is not alone.
Like many single parents, JoAnn Hargrove has been struggling throughout the pandemic.
Her 7-year-old daughter has spent the past year at home, learning virtually. That meant Hargrove, a postal carrier in Pittsburgh, had to stop working during the week. She’s now collecting partial unemployment and working on Saturdays and Sundays, while her mother watches her daughter.
“I am literally living paycheck to paycheck,” said Hargrove, 37.
“Food is so expensive,” she added. “I didn’t realize that when I was making the money I was making.”
Fortunately, Hargrove has some savings, which are dwindling. She’s trying to hold off using what’s left so she has a cushion when government aid runs out.
“I am counting on the stimulus check,” Hargrove said, referring to the next payment working its way through Congress.
She’s not alone. Almost one-third, or 29 percent, of U.S. adults are counting on another round of government relief to get by, and another 24 percent say they need it but doubt it will happen, a new CNBC + Acorns Invest in You survey conducted by SurveyMonkey found.
People of color are more likely to be relying on the relief, especially Black women. Half of Black Americans and 40 percent of Latinos said they were counting on it, while 57 percent of Black women said the same. In addition, 24 percent of Blacks and Latinos need it but don’t think it will come to fruition.
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