With job loss and economic challenges putting a burden on Erie, people with financial struggles are having difficulty deciding what they should and shouldn't use their money on.

One of these examples is in the area of health. According to the Urban Institute, 43% of parents with children have either lost hours or have lost their job completely due to the pandemic.

And this can be a cause for not being able to afford medical expenses. "When you have that type of a situation you're certainly not going to go to a doctor or go to a hospital, until you are in dire need of those services", says Amy Eisert, Mercyhurst Civic Institute Executive Director. 

In addition, mental health could become a concern among individuals in poverty.

Dr. Bridgette Brawner of the University of Pennsylvania can see this through a health lens. In a study done by the university, Brawner and other colleagues found that some doctors assumed certain symptoms of patients based on their skin color: "What the men were [talking] about assumptions providers made about what type of food they were eating or what providers made about their exercise and dietary practices", Brawner said.

In Erie, the battle for providing for children continues for Tiffany Hicks, a single mother of five. She says that since the start of the pandemic, she has experienced elevated economic concerns.

"Basically you're doing everything by yourself", said Hicks.  "Now it's double hard because now you're doing it by yourself, without a parent, or without a significant other".

She isn't the only one who understands the difficulties of poverty in the area. Angela Mcnair is the Director for the Erie School Board, and says her community has been under served for longer than the past few months.

"We already were below the radar in receiving the things that we needed", Mcnair said. "This just kind of shined a light on the things that we should have already been addressing".

However, with the help of local resources, such as the Booker T. Washington Center, Hicks has been able to continue providing for her children.

The center helps to donate items such as educational packets, tablets, and meals for children and families in need. During the virus, the organization is making sure to offer services to anyone who feels as if they cannot make it through COVID-19 alone.

"We still have to find ways to make sure our kids are being educated", said Shantel Hilliard, Executive Director.

Hilliard, however, is impressed with the way the community has merged to supply resources and hopes others will do the same: "I think the school district as well as many other apparatuses and educational institutions have done a great job of what we were dealt with".

This series is being supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.