Introduction
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy suffered a great deal. This exacerbated the existing global food insecurity and housing crisis. In the beginning, people lost their jobs, accompanied by financial hardship (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2021). Due to unmet needs, more households had very little to eat during the pandemic and difficulties in clearing rent, facing the prospect of homelessness. Housing insecurity has several adverse outcomes, such as depression and the increased development of chronic illnesses. In the event of such a crisis, one may find it difficult to obey public health rules such as isolation and restriction of movement where there is a housing crisis. COVID-19 may not be the only global public health threat facing society, negatively affecting today’s children and families (Brown et al., 2020). The growing awareness of stress in the face of a worldwide pandemic allows us to examine how stressors external to the family affect our ability to cooperate with clients’ families.
Adversities from the Pandemic
A global crisis causes many adversities, and social workers need to anticipate the difficulties likely to be encountered. The cause of widespread income loss was the closing of several businesses due to the pandemic restrictions. It is possible for finances to negatively impact family and welfare. Losing a loved one to Coronavirus or another cause has been a painful experience for many families (Calvano et al., 2021). No matter what the cause of death is, the emotional pain is unbearable. Traumatizing events, such as visiting loved ones in the hospital or witnessing their death can lead to increased stress and, often, to social isolation. As a consequence of people spending more time at home, domestic violence conflicts have become increasingly prevalent. Internationally, domestic violence incidents have skyrocketed. People, who once were an addicted, experienced relapse and came back to substance abuse of alcohol and others. An increase in anxiety and depression cases has affected families around the globe since the pandemic began. Therefore, the challenges make it all the more to deal with people during these times.
Food Insecurity
The stay-at-home orders during COVID-19 had a significant impact on the economy with an upshoot in the rates of food insecurity. Among the most affected businesses were those in the food industry. Undoubtedly, food insecurities negatively affect families with children the most. Food security is not usually just having anything to eat but the quality of the food eaten. Populations facing food insecurity are typically unproductive, which further hurts the economy. There is a need to reduce food insecurity through food programs and reduction of wastage. Food that goes to wastage should be tapped and distributed to needy families (Derek, 2020). Just like the housing crisis, it is difficult to restrict the movement of people experiencing food insecurity due to the need to search for food. Restaurants took the mantle and distributed food to some affected households but not all. The overall responsibility to prevent food insecurity lies on the government.
Conclusion
Communication is essential when de-escalating a crisis. It is critical that they feel understood, so they need to pay close attention to them. Everyone’s problem manifests differently and is caused by different factors. Call someone if you believe you cannot de-escalate the situation without assistance. Determine the safety and mobilize available resources to develop an action plan for restoring hope and sailing through the pandemic (Bozkurt et al., 2020). Since every person and case is unique, what should be included in a response plan varies greatly. It may entail obtaining assistance from a home care team, which will be able to provide services at home. Finally, we hope that just by dealing with clients over time, we will be able to help them make life changes that will lead to long-term recovery.
References
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Brown, S. M., Doom, J. R., Lechuga-Peña, S., Watamura, S. E., & Koppels, T. (2020). Stress and parenting during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Child Abuse & Neglect, 110(2), 104699. Web.
Calvano, C., Engelke, L., Di Bella, J., Kindermann, J., Renneberg, B., & Winter, S. M. (2021). Families in the COVID-19 pandemic: parental stress, parent mental health and the occurrence of adverse childhood experiences—results of a representative survey in Germany. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Web.
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2021). Tracking the COVID-19 economy’s effects on food, housing, and employment hardships. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Web.
Derek, D. H. (2020). Poverty and food insecurity during COVID-19: Evidence from the COVID-19 rural and urban food security survey (RUFSS) – June and July 2020 round. Ifpri.org. Web.