The human toll of the Covid-19 pandemic on entertainment industry workers has come into sharper focus with the release of a new survey by theThe survey found that among those who reached out to it for help, nearly half lost full-time employment; 62% reported losing part-time or gig employment; 40% faced food insecurity; 28% fell behind on their rent or mortgage, and 20% had been forced to move.
“The last year has exposed how vulnerable people in our community are,” said Actors Fund CEO Joe Benincasa, “We need to continue to provide critical support while the industry safely returns to work, and we intend to continue to explore ways to ensure more access to our services going forward.” According to the survey, the median household income among all respondents was just $34,186. Of the respondents who lost full-time or part-time employment, 22% said they do not know when they’ll return to work; 29% said they expect to return in less than six months; 34% in six to 12 months, and 11% said they hope get back to work in a year.
Of those who have not yet been forced to move, 5% said they were likely, and 12% said they were somewhat likely, to lose their housing when eviction moratoriums are lifted.