Today, the Denver Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (DOIRA) and New American Economy (NAE) released the findings of a COVID-19 Community Impact Survey designed to gather insights directly from immigrant residents, including Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) and immigrant residents about the impact of COVID-19 on their economic and social well-being and sense of belonging.

Key Findings

A significant share of the respondents believe the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted their overall wellbeing.

• Thirty-six percent of immigrant respondents said their hours were reduced at work, and nearly 25 percent said they lost their jobs.
• More than 45 percent of immigrant respondents had to cut back on other essential spending in order to pay their rent or mortgage, and 10 percent were unable to pay their rent or mortgage on time.
• At least 30 percent of immigrant respondents had tested positive for COVID-19 at some point; another 5 percent said someone in their household felt sick with COVID-19 symptoms but never got tested.
• When thinking about the future, immigrant respondents were most worried about paying utilities or other bills (59 percent), paying for emergency expenses (39 percent), getting enough food (38 percent), paying down debt (36 percent), and paying for healthcare and medicine for their families (27 percent).

Read the full report here.