By Allison Dikanovic and Clara Neupert, Wisconsin Watch and Princess Safiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, Madison365
Kelli Walton waited four weeks to hear whether she qualified for state emergency rental assistance. When the news came, it was too late.
By the time the Social Development Commission, which distributes the aid, told her she was on a waiting list with thousands of others, Walton’s landlord had already issued a five-day notice — kickstarting an eviction.
The mother of two from Milwaukee said before the pandemic, she was paying rent on time. But Walton was infected by the coronavirus in April as it swept through the nursing home where she worked. She spent nearly three weeks in a hospital struggling to breathe.
Walton lost months of paychecks while recovering, joining a backlog of thousands waiting for the state Department of Workforce Development to process their unemployment insurance claims. Months later, Walton, 34, is still waiting on her unemployment benefits.
Featured Image, Will Cioci / Wisconsin Watch
Full article @ Madison365
