Looking Ahead
How we move forward, together.
By just about any measure, we’re looking at an unprecedented economic shock: demand has evaporated, supply chains are starting to show signs of stress, CPI has cratered, and GDP projections range from very bad to cataclysmic.
Amid widespread stay-at-home orders, economic fears, and COVID-related concerns, there are rays of hope on a local level: mutual aid groups have sprung up around the country, oriented around connecting neighbors to help the vulnerable people in their community and filling gaps in formal service provision.
At KinderUS, we’ve had a front-row seat to witness community responses to both COVID-19 and the economic fallout.
These are our takeaways from watching Angelenos grapple with, survive, and rise above the crisis.
We’re facing an economic and human crisis that many local governments are ill-equipped to handle.
There are large cohorts of “invisible people” who lack support systems, rely on nonprofits/NGOs (many of which have ceased operation due to COVID), and are in dire personal situations. Governments are scrambling to figure out who these people are, how to contact them, and how to get them the help they need.
People are helping one another.
Crises often accentuate pro-social tendencies, and COVID-19 is no exception. In Hollywood alone, over 30 KinderUS members have helped deliver groceries and essential supplies to nearly 300 seniors; this is just the tip of the iceberg. All across the country, people are reaching out to one another (often with the help of mutual aid groups) and offering real, meaningful support to our most vulnerable neighbors.
Communities are about to be inundated with a second wave of newly vulnerable individuals
These people will have unique needs that many neighborhoods and organizations are not prepared to handle. As the economic impact sets in, more and more people are pushed from stability to instability. Community organizations and local governments are starting to catch up to the first wave, but by and large they are not prepared for what comes next.
The needs of the new groups will be different. They may be healthier and younger, but have pressing employment or personal needs; they will also have unique things to offer and trade.
A local government can centralize food provision, but how can it centralize exchanges of furniture, tools, and more? How can it centralize grassroots community networks?
For good reason, mutual aid groups and governments have thus far placed their focus on older adults, people with disabilities, and immunocompromised individuals. But communities need to be prepared for the next steps in this still-nascent generational economic shock.
Conservatively, 1 in 4 tenants didn’t pay their April rent. May will be worse. 52% of people under 45 have lost their jobs or been furloughed. And what happens when those jobs don’t come back? When tenants who missed payments need to pay landlords back in 6 months, we’re looking at a widespread liquidity crisis among households.
But there are steps that we can take to mitigate the most serious effects on peoples’ lives and livelihoods.
Financial instability and desperation push people to rely on their communities.
Similarly, sharing and altruism increase. Widespread community movements emerged in response to both the Great Depression and the Great Recession as people looked for ways to cut costs and keep their heads above water.
During the Depression, we lacked the technology to coordinate and maintain those grassroots efforts; during the Recession, we were just beginning to explore the local, offline implications of social networks.
We need to break down the stigma around asking for help, we need people to offer what they can — and this time around, we need a hyperlocal platform that helps communities build lasting resilience.
We need positive online and offline environments focused around connecting people around needs, offers, interests, and business opportunities.
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Thanks for your support,
Team Kinder
