“Gut-wrenching.” That’s how Bradley Rusk described being laid off, along with the rest of the staff at Jimmy D’s Hwy 3 Roadhouse in Gorst.

It’s a feeling shared by an increasing number of Washington workers bracing for financial hardship as the coronavirus pandemic exacts a toll on the state’s economy that could persist even as officials work to rein in the virus.

With employment benefits, Rusk will take home about $800 per month, just a fraction of what the 38-year-old would make as a waiter at the restaurant and a few hundred dollars short of rent at the Bremerton motel where his lives with his wife and two children.

After using his last paycheck to cover rent for April at the motel, Rusk says his bank account is down to just $200. Food stamps help, but he’s taking on a few side gigs while he waits for his first unemployment check to roll in.

“It’s really tight right now,” he said. “We’re just budgeting every penny pretty much.”

Some workers, especially those in the food-service industry, have started to bear the first wave of economic pain as restaurants and bars across the state were forced last week to temporarily shut down and limit service to take-out in a drastic step to curb the virus’ spread.

That’s only likely to expand to other parts of the workforce after the governor ordered Washington residents to stay at home and required “non-essential” businesses to temporarily close. While many companies have pushed ahead with employees now working from home, that isn’t a possibility for many workers.

For Rusk, there’s not much else he says he can do beyond waiting for things to return to normal. He’ll have a job back once the restaurant opens again.

But there's still so much uncertainty. How long will this last? How long will he go without a job? How long will his family have to tighten their belts? And it only makes the process that much more difficult, he said.

“Looking at my kids every day not knowing what is going to happen — that’s the tough part,” Rusk said. “I’m just trying to keep a positive outlook for my kids.”

Tightening budgets, waiting for relief

Across Washington state, thousands of workers have been laid off amid the economic fallout of COVID-19. Others are seeing their weekly paychecks diminish as business slash hours.

In recent weeks, there’s been an influx of unemployment claims. Nationwide, 281,000 unemployment insurance claims were filed in the week ending March 14, according to figures released last week by the U.S. Department of Labor. That marks a one-third increase from the week prior.

It’s been even worse in Washington state, where 14,846 unemployment claims were filed two weeks ago — more than double the previous week.

And it’s not expected to get any better. Economists predict millions are applying for unemployment benefits. An estimate by Goldman Sachs forecasts 2.25 million people filed for unemployment last week, indicating weekly layoffs may soon eclipse the worst of the Great Recession.

For many in Kitsap County, that’s already the new reality.

Just two weeks ago, Bremerton resident Amanda Peckham was working at both the Axe and Arrow Gastropub and the Kitsap Regional Library. Last week, Peckham, 27, was laid off at the restaurant and her shifts were canceled as the library shut down. “I was stunned,” she said. “It was really shocking to go from two jobs to no jobs in less than 24 hours.”

Employment will be “breadcrumbs” compared with her regular restaurant paycheck, Peckham said. But her husband, a sailor on the USS Carl Vinson, is still bringing home a steady paycheck.

Even so, the family recently moved into a new place with higher rent. “Now we’re like, ‘This is it now. We have to cut back,’” Peckham said. “I had to make a really short grocery list.”

At Manette Daily, general manager Jessica Manly said shutting down the cafe was a difficult decision but ultimately the right move to protect people’s health and allow workers to file for unemployment. “It was really heavy on my heart. I was in the same position as everyone else,” Manly, 27, said. I work really closely with these people every day.”

Manly, who was also laid off from her other job at the Toro Lounge, says she has a little saved up — and she’s no longer spending money going out to the bar to grab drinks with friends.

But Manly says the “financial bind” becomes tighter the longer she’s out of work. “I’m doing OK, but if this drags out for a month or two, I’m definitely going to be in a position where I have to reach out for help,” she said.

More aid coming for laid-off workers

As states from California to Connecticut put in place strict lockdown measures that will last several weeks, the virus’s economic impact has become unavoidable.

While public health officials and virology experts say the measures are necessary to contain the virus, federal, state and local leaders are moving forward on a number of efforts to alleviate the financial burden for those out of work.

On Tuesday, congressional leaders and White House officials said they are nearing a deal on a nearly $2 trillion dollar aid package for businesses and workers hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. The rescue package could include direct payments to Americans, expanded unemployment benefits and billions in support for small businesses, the Associated Press reported.

The federal Small Business Administration has approved a disaster declaration for all of Washington, allowing small businesses to apply for low-interest loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses stemming from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced a 30-day statewide halt on evictions. Inslee has also waived the one-week waiting period to receive unemployment insurance and expanded its criteria to cover more workers impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

In addition, the state Department of Social and Health Services has made cash assistance from the Family Emergency Assistance Program available for families without children. The state’s also offering up to $5 million as micro-grants to small businesses to prevent permanent closure as a result of COVID-19.

Puget Sound Energy and Cascade Natural Gas both say they are not disconnecting customers for non-payment during this time. “We share the governor’s concern for our community and will be there for our customers throughout this hardship,” PSE president Mary Kipp said in a statement.

Locally, the city of Bremerton announced last week it will not be shutting off water and is waiving late payment fees for utility bills. “We are facing unprecedented times and these steps will help with reducing some financial worries for our residents in our community,” Mayor Greg Wheeler said in a statement.

'I'm not optimistic'

However, some Kitsap workers are still unclear about what aid they qualify for and how much they will eventually receive.

Margaret Loveless, a substitute teacher in Bremerton, is not sure if she will receive unemployment. Loveless, 69, says she wasn’t technically laid off, but all of her upcoming substitute hours were eliminated.

Under emergency rules from the state’s employment security department, Loveless is hopeful she will meet the minimum requirements for part-time employees. “I have to figure it out,” she said. “I just keep telling myself everything is going to be OK.”

Between other part-time gigs and her husband continuing to work as a substance-abuse and domestic-violence counselor, Loveless says the family should be able to weather what could be tough times ahead. “It’s one of those things where we think we are going to be OK,” she said. “I know there are other people who are desperate and we're not at that point.”

Other workers have faced a difficult time navigating Washington’s unemployment system, including Troy Glessner, a chef at the Big Apple Diner in Bremerton.

After the diner shut down last week, Glessner has been helping other staff apply for unemployment, but the 53-year-old was initially denied when he applied himself. It took hours waiting on the state’s unemployment phone line to get the issue straightened out; Glessner says he finally learned his claim was approved on Monday.

Glessner says money will be tight for the next several weeks, even as his wife continues to work and he receives some money for being a disabled veteran on top of unemployment. “It's difficult. You're used to a certain income,” he said. “Unemployment is something that's coming in and I will be grateful for it, but it still not what it was when we were working.”

For the past week, Glessner has been calling around to get some help with his outstanding bills. His truck payments have been deferred for two months, he said, while some personal loans were cut down to the principal amount.

While Glessner’s job is waiting for him once the diner re-opens, he’s not sure how long that’s going to take. And as COVID-19 cases continue to escalate across the country, Glessner is expecting it will be later rather than sooner.

“Honestly with everything that is going down… I’m not optimistic about it just being two weeks,” he said. “In reality, I don't think it’s going to happen.”

Austen Macalus is the Kitsap Sun's social services reporter — covering health care, homelessness and how programs are serving those in need. He can be reached at austen.macalus@kitsapsun.com or 360-536-6423.

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