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Racine mom gets back to work after four-week furlough

Posted at 6:53 PM, May 14, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-14 19:53:45-04

RACINE — Cassandra Suarez of Racine has been quarantining at her home with her two kids after being furloughed for four weeks. On Sunday, she goes back to Firestone where she works as a sales representative.

"I'm nervous too because I'm going to be working with the public again. So when we take cars in and stuff, I have to physically take keys from them and have them sign papers," said Suarez.

Firestone told her they'll provide masks, but besides her fear of contracting COVID-19, another worry she has is staying afloat financially. Her mother will step in for childcare, but Suarez is a single mom. She has a one-income household.

"I'm kind of like wanting to see if unemployment will kick in, if not then I will probably need more help with certain things because four weeks being without work and I get paid weekly is kind of hard," she said.

John Hyatt, President, and CEO of IMPACT, a non-profit serving southeast Wisconsin, said anyone struggling can call 2-1-1 and get connected with resources. He said families might qualify for programs like TANEF or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families that help with job preparation and work assistance.

Hyatt said some social services and programs can assist people with emergency funding to help offset the cost of things like groceries or rent and some people might qualify for other funding sources.

"There's an earned income tax credit that often people overlook for a family could be as much as a $1,000," Hyatt explained.

Click here to read more about the Earned Income Tax Credit.

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