From bartering to begging for relief, struggling Americans confront April rent
NEW YORK (REUTERS) - New York hairstylist Vanessa Karim has not worked since March 21, when the state closed all salons to slow the spread of the coronavirus. She only has enough cash on hand to cover half of her US$1,400 (S$2,000) April rent.
"It all feels like a bad dream," said Ms Karim, 36, who planned to ask her landlord if he would be willing to accept a partial payment. "Every day I'm like, 'Is this really happening?' I'm trying not to stress out."
As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the US economy and transforms Americans' daily lives, the start of April brings a moment of reckoning for millions: Rent cheques are due.
Many Americans have already lost their jobs - last week's national unemployment claims exceeded three million, shattering previous records - and huge swathes of the country have essentially shut down, with more than half of US states now under some version of a stay-at-home order to curb the disease's spread.
One-third of the nation's 328 million residents live in rental homes, according to US Census data. In New York City, the epicentre of the US outbreak, the proportion of those who rent is much higher.
Some states have instituted a moratorium on residential evictions. Housing advocates, however, have called for more dramatic action, including putting rent payments on hold altogether until the economy can restart.
Ms Alfa Cristina Morales, 21, lost her job as a line cook at an Oakland, California, coffee shop, along with her health insurance, three weeks ago.
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