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  • tonight, the president predicting a painful two weeks ahead for America, saying as many as 240,000 people could die from Cove in 19 even if social distancing rules are followed.

  • Now the millions of Americans enduring financial fallout from the crisis.

  • Even before this pandemic started, life for Amber Roberson was already precarious.

  • We get food stamps and everything, so I mean now, with me looking for work, it's getting that at least 10 times harder.

  • This single mom from Orlando, fearing any small thing, could put her over the edge.

  • Keeping my A C on won't go past 79 overnight.

  • That takes my bill down to under 200.

  • She, like so many Americans, now finds herself on the brink a thin line between making ends meet and financial ruin.

  • With President Trump now extending federal social distancing guidelines until April 30th financial hardships will be compounded.

  • An ABC News Washington Post poll showed half of Americans have experienced a cut in pay or work hours as a result of the pendant.

  • Tomorrow begins a new month in a new reality.

  • The anxiety and fear over how to meet financial obligations palpable.

  • How am I gonna make rent?

  • How bills?

  • You know, student loans.

  • I have a brother like medical bills that I'm still trying to pay off is completely unsettling.

  • You know, you start to ask yourselves, are gonna be able to afford to buy food and all that we can really do at this point is hope and pray that financially we will be able to stay a flow.

  • The question for so many, How long can they hold on XIII?

  • Consuelo Gross.

  • AUSA always had big dreams, but as an immigrant restaurant work was often the only job he could get.

  • After years of toiling, his dreams came true.

  • Six months ago when he opened Pirates Bone Burgers, a plant based diner in Kansas City, Missouri.

  • I put everything I had into it.

  • We were selling almost 100,000 within the 1st 3 months.

  • I was very happy.

  • So you had finally turned a corner and were looking at profits or at least the prospect of profits profits in the near future.

  • It seemed like a possibility for sure.

  • When Cove it hit that exciting prospect wiped off the table.

  • What went through your mind when it really dawned on you that you'd have to shut your doors.

  • It was this Sunday, because it was either.

  • We closed down the doors early before they everyone told us to close down in order to keep people safe, keep my employees safe, myself saved, and the rest of the small money that we have in the bank account.

  • Do you think business will survive?

  • I hope so.

  • I don't think we have enough in the bank toe.

  • Really?

  • Hold us over for two too long.

  • We were just starting up, so everything went back into it.

  • As a doctor recipient.

  • He can't file for unemployment.

  • I was just able to speak to my car loan company.

  • And they told me that my payments were gonna be cost.

  • But my interests were not going to be possible.

  • So as great as it is, pausing my payments.

  • My interest is gonna go through the roof, which it already waas being undocumented.

  • I have no credit.

  • I'm sorry if it's too personal question.

  • But how much money do you have left in the bank?

  • I have $70 in my bank account and I grabbed a ll The tips that I had put in the bank.

  • I have just a couple $100 I need to put back in there, he says.

  • The rent on his restaurant is temporarily paused, but he's still facing a pile of other bills.

  • Have Liquid Bill for Water, Witch They're not gonna cut off.

  • And the electric company also said that they weren't gonna shut them off.

  • I love to pay them, but it would put me in such a tight spot.

  • I needed to get groceries.

  • There are some avenues for help.

  • Some states have banned evictions and foreclosures during the crisis.

  • Five of the largest mortgage lenders in the country have offered relief or options to borrowers hit hardest by Cove.

  • In 19 federal student loan payments could be suspended for six months without penalty and phone and Internet companies including Verizon, Xfinity and A T and T offering 60 days of non termination.

  • For those who can't pay their bills, nonprofits are also filling the gap.

  • Food pantries across the country flooded at one Pittsburgh Food bank, a line of cars stretching down the highway waiting to get in.

  • Still, the need is overwhelming.

  • How will I survive?

  • Well, I'm going to tap into my savings because unemployment has been a nightmare thus far.

  • More than three million Americans filed for unemployment during the week ending March 21st.

  • Getting an unemployment check is not always simple or quick.

  • Even in the best of times, I really need as soon as possible.

  • Perla Pimental, applied as soon as she lost her job, is an event planner.

  • Filing for unemployment is not a very easy process.

  • It's not very intuitive.

  • Rini Castillo Leone and her partner Madelyn Wittenberg, say they finally got through to New York system.

  • We used two different computers at once trying to access the website.

  • We spent about five G's trying because we're just calling those on repeat and like, it just got disconnected.

  • We did also the Spanish version, and that's the version that we had the luck with.

  • Last week, Congress passed a whopping $2 trillion stimulus bill, but in Orlando, Amber Roberson will have to go it alone.

  • I have negative $135 I'm not getting a stimulus checks, so that's not gonna help any.

  • She's been looking for work for two years, so she hasn't been filing taxes.

  • She went to prison when she was 18 for non violent crimes.

  • And covert 19 she suspects, has slashed any employment prospects she had.

  • I'm a convicted felon.

  • You weren't working already.

  • And then all these people that were are any more so they'll let go when you lost your job because of Copan 19.

  • Oh, well, yeah, go ahead.

  • You're you're you'll get hired before this lady who's been looking for two years.

  • Her daughter Caitlin goes to a magnet school for the performing arts.

  • Set you up a little space for both of them.

  • Education represents opportunities Amber didn't have.

  • Lord knows I don't want to go through what I'm going through now because I know she won't end up going to jail or anything crazy like I did.

  • She wants to be a star.

  • So when schools shut their doors and went online, she knew she'd have to find a way to get WiFi a luxury she couldn't afford.

  • So she and her neighbors banded together, pooling their resources to pay for WiFi so all the kids could learn.

  • So I can You're going to stay here.

  • Knowing she can still make her daughter smile is a smaller not letting them know the world freaking out.

  • That's the best thing you can do.

  • Let it slide it, roll off your shoulders.

  • She focuses instead on gratitude.

  • Thankful for the women in her new tribe like Dorothy, Miracle.

  • Just things and things like free lunch and this gift from someone she's never met listed on a giveaway out for some an old trampoline.

  • But for her, a godsend.

  • Thank you to anybody on offer up or wherever, giving out free because people like us we need.

  • And earlier I spoke with personal finance guru and popular radio host Dave Ramsey.

  • Dave, thanks for joining us.

  • I'm honored.

  • Thank you for having me.

  • Well, clearly, these air unprecedented times and people are facing serious health threats along with economic threats.

  • What do you say to people when they call you and say, Dave, I'm worried.

  • Well, I think it be weird if you weren't a little worried right now concerned.

  • What we're trying to tell folks, though, is don't go past the worried or concerned over into panic.

  • People don't make good decisions when they're panicked.

  • So for the millions of people who suddenly find themselves unemployed, rent is coming due tomorrow.

  • Bills need to be paid.

  • People have to make tough choices.

  • How do you prioritize which pills bills to pay and which to ignore?

  • If you're in that situation where your income has come to a screeching halt not where you're worried about it, but where the fax say you did lose your job, then we tell you, you've gotta prioritize and be very, very careful.

  • You gotta batten up the hatches.

  • You're in the middle of a hurricane, and we say, Protect the four walls of your house.

  • You buy food, shelter, clothing, transportation and utilities and you may not need to buy anything else right now.

  • And you know, you're famous for telling people that you should have an emergency fund.

  • But when is it time to dip into savings?

  • What we tell folks tohave is the very first steps.

  • Get $1000 is a beginner emergency fund.

  • But a good emergency fund, a proper one is 3 to 6 months of expenses.

  • If you've got that, that puts you in a much better shape right now.

  • But again, you don't touch that just because you're scared.

  • You touch it because you literally ran out of money because your job is gone.

  • And what if you're already in debt?

  • If you're gonna call your mortgage bank or your credit card bank, how do you ask for debt relief?

  • Well, I mean, in most cases they have some kind of ah Corona virus program right now, stuff like credit cards.

  • If it ain't things your credit up a little bit, you just don't pay them right now if you're out of work and broke now, we need to go forward, though, and say there's a whole lot of people that are doing fine.

  • They're just worried those people need to keep doing their current financial plan.

  • Don't stop doing it.

  • What's the most common question you've been getting from all of your legions of listeners out there Day?

  • The most common question I'm getting now is is that folks concern has shifted from the virus to the cure.

  • The cure is not killing folks, not necessarily literally, but it's destroying their lives and destroying their dreams.

  • And so the sooner that American can get back to work safely on, the sooner we can get past this fear based management of everything this panic based management, Uh, that's what folks are yearning for that.

  • I'm talking to every day.

  • Well, you stay safe.

  • And thanks for sharing your wisdom with us today, Dave Ramsey.

  • Honor to be with you.

  • Thank you.

  • Hi, everyone.

  • George Stephanopoulos here.

  • Thanks for checking out the ABC News YouTube channel.

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  • Thanks for watching.

tonight, the president predicting a painful two weeks ahead for America, saying as many as 240,000 people could die from Cove in 19 even if social distancing rules are followed.

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