Ebony Jefferson, a Greenville resident and card dealer at Harlow’s Casino Resort & Spa, is one of the more than 17 million people in this country who have filed for unemployment in the last four weeks since the coronavirus epidemic struck.
Jefferson is not just a number, of course. A single mother to 5-year-old Karter, Jefferson has her own unique story about how she is trying to persevere through these times.
“My biggest fear is that we don’t know where this is going to end and that everything is going to get worse,”Jefferson said. “It has been rough. My son does not really know what is going on. He doesn’t understand why we can’t go on a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese. He does not understand why he cannot see his friends.”
Jefferson was furloughed from her job at the casino on March 16. She was paid for her last week of work, plus two more weeks of relief. She was told by the casino that she will have her job back once the casino reopens its doors.
The Mississippi Department of Employment Security announced on April 3 that workers who are not able to work due to COVID-19 will be eligible to file for unemployment benefits.To file an Unemployment Claim, visit the MDES website by clicking the attached link, or call the MDES Contact Center at 888-844-3577. Online filing is encouraged.
Jefferson has applied for unemployment, and she believes she has successfully completed her application. But, she said she still worries something in the process could go wrong, and the desperately needed money might not make it to her in time.
“I don’t have any complaints with the casino and how this was handled,” she said. “A person with their human resources department has called me each week to check up on me and tell me where everything else stands.”
Jefferson was employed at Harlow’s for just over a year before her furlough. She works the graveyard shift at the casino, starting at at midnight and clocking out at 8 a.m. While others may see this as tough hours to handle, Jefferson said she misses her job greatly and can’t wait to get back to work.
“I really miss our customers,” she said. “I have a regular group of customers who come in, and they have become my friends.”
When the fishing stops
Greenville resident Erin Dycus and her family were struggling to make ends meet even before the COVID-19 epidemic struck the nation.
Erin’s husband, Gregory, is one of a handful of people in the area who works as a commercial fisherman. Gregory uses nets to catch fish throughout lakes in the area. His most profitable lake to fish is Lake Washington in Glen Allan.
However, Lake Washington was closed last week by the state government. Gregory never made a fortune at his job, his wife said, “maybe a couple of hundred dollars a month, selling catfish, buffalo fish, and gar.” He has moved his fishing operation to Lake Ferguson, since technically being part of the river system, it is still open. But, he is likely not going to make nearly as much money fishing there.
“When they shut the lakes down, he was no longer able to fish on the lakes we needed him to,” Erin said.
The money Gregory makes fishing helps his family supplement the other income they receive from disability payments used to take care of their 6-year-old son, Gregory, who is disabled with non-verbal autism. Erin and her husband are also parents to two young daughters, ages 11 and 8.
The Dycus family relies on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to help them get food. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Erin said the family has received a little more money from this program for them to buy groceries, and she said they are thankful for it.
Financial concerns are just part of the issues now facing the Dycus family.
Because school is closed, Gregory is no longer being educated by professionals who are trained to help children with his disability.
“He was on a great routine, and that’s what kids like him need,” the mother said. “When they are on a routine, they do a lot better.”
Along with taking care of her disabled son, Erin said she is also making sure their two young daughters keep up with their school work from packets they receive from their elementary teachers.
“Times are really difficult and hard for us right now, and I am just praying to make it through each day,” Erin said. “I understand that this needed to be done, and I think we are doing the right thing to save as many lives as we can. But, this does not mean that it is easy.”
No more gigs
Local blues musician Kern Pratt is accustomed to playing live music four or five times a week at restaurants and bars throughout the region, but this all came to an abrupt end when coronavirus struck.
Still, Pratt, a Greenville native, has been creative in making sure his fans can still hear his music. Earlier this week, Pratt did a Facebook Live concert from his bedroom and said he was able to make a nice little profit. This type of money, however, is nowhere near close enough to make up for the income he would of have received from his live gigs.
“Before this happened, I was basically booked up until the end of the year, but now I am doing whatever I can to make it,” Pratt said. “I just got finished doing a job where I hung tiles at a Popeye’s Chicken, and I have already painted one house.”
Pratt said his biggest concern is that even when restaurants and bars reopen, it still may be quite some time before small business owners feel comfortable booking musicians for a gig.
“I am hoping this is all going to blow over soon, but I have no idea what this is going to look like on the other end,” he said.
One of the things helping Pratt, he said, is all the emotional support he receives from his fellow musicians who are facing the same uncertain future together.
“It is wonderful to see how much we care about each other,” he said.
