With most of the votes in and the winners almost all recognized in local, state and national races, we can turn our attention to what is next. The impact of Covid-19, climate change and political stalemates will have to be reckoned with. The economic outlook is for a long and slow recovery with the unemployed and underemployed experiencing the most challenges. Personal bankruptcies, evictions, defaults, repossessions, and loss of emergency savings are all increasing. Those at the bottom of the economic scale will be the most affected.
The effects on the quality of life for many of our fellow citizens will be great for the next few years. Local non-profits and governments will be strained to provide the necessary services in a time of reduced revenue. Communities stepping up to help the most vulnerable will be required. Having good data on the needs of friends and neighbors will be important to encourage individuals and groups to give time and/or money. We hope to highlight some of those needs on these pages and encourage interested contributors to our data sets.