December 14, 2020

Data Show a Higher Percentage of Florida Families are Struggling During COVID Crisis than Families Nationally

An Annie E. Casey Foundation report reveals food and housing security, mental health and health insurance are the greatest concerns as pandemic continues.

Florida families performed slightly better than families nationally in feeling down, depressed or hopeless, but a new report, Kids, Families and COVID-19: Pandemic Pain Points and the Urgent Need to Respond, shows Florida’s families are struggling at higher percentages than the national average in three of the four other areas addressed in the report—food security, housing stability, and affordable healthcare.
 
This KIDS COUNT®  report, a 50-state report of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how families are faring during the COVID-19 crisis, examined data from weekly surveys conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that demonstrate how families across the country are challenged to meet basic needs during this global public health crisis while managing school, work and mental health. The Casey Foundation finds that the concurrent health and economic crises are exacerbating the ability of vulnerable families to fulfill basic needs.

Policy Report Resources

• Report: Kids, Families and COVID-19: Pandemic Pain Points and the Urgent Need to Respond
• Florida News Release
• Florida KIDS COUNT Blog

Florida KIDS COUNT, housed within the Department of Child & Family Studies at the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, University of South Florida, is part of a nationwide KIDS COUNT Network and a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The KIDS COUNT Network is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. by providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being. KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children.