Data Stories

Stress and isolation occurring during the pandemic intensified concerns about the public’s mental health. A report from the Government Accountability Office in December 2021 noted higher rates of anxiety and depression in adults. The report also noted that children, adolescents, health care workers, and certain racial or ethnic populations may be at a higher risk of behavioral health issues.

As pandemic legislation was passed, starting with the CARES Act in March 2020, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) assigned a code to identify each of the six laws. These codes, known as Disaster Emergency Fund Codes (DEFC), are used to track the spending funded under each legislation. Many of the codes were further refined through the description of the code, as "Emergency" or "Non-emergency."

More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses from April 2020 to April 2021 according to estimates from the Center for Disease Control. Most of the deaths, nearly 75%, were the result of opioids. To address this crisis, the Department of Health and Human Services is providing a total of $3.15 billion to states for prevention and treatment services.

Households struggling to pay rent or utility bills received relief from the $25 billion Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA1) program. State and local governments were responsible for administering the funds, which they began receiving in January 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act added $21 billion more to the program (ERA2) in March 2021.

Many colleges and universities closed during the pandemic and faced uncertain futures. To help them remain open, the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) program provided grants to approximately 4,900 institutions totaling $76.3 billion.

An assistance listing is a series of numbers used to identify each federal financial assistance program. We use the term “assistance listings” on our interactive dashboards.

The first round of rental assistance (ERA1) was meant to help low-income and underserved households struggling to pay their rent. Data released in February 2022 by the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) shows that these communities did benefit from the $24 billion program. For the period October 1 – December 31, 2021, 86% of households earning less than 51% of their area’s median income received rental assistance.

Air travel was restricted during the pandemic, putting aviation jobs at risk. To help keep airline workers employed, the Pandemic Relief for Aviation Workers Payroll Support Program has provided $63 billion to passenger and cargo airlines and aviation contractors since March 2020.

As offices reopen and parents return to work, finding affordable child care can be difficult for low-income families. At the same time, early childcare providers are trying to stay open and provide safe environments for youngsters. Two programs included in the Child Care and Development Block Grant program received a total of $52.5 billion to assist families and early child care providers.

For families without home internet, schools and libraries with the internet have been lifelines for connecting students to their online classes. The Emergency Connectivity Fund, a new program created by the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021, is providing a total of $7 billion to schools and libraries to pay for laptops, tablets, modems, Wi-fi hotspots, routers, and other broadband devices.