A new round of unemployment relief coming from the federal government is expected to be in Hoosier pockets by Thanksgiving.
President Barack Obama signed a $24 billion economic stimulus bill into law Friday, giving tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and additional jobless benefits to those idled by the business slump. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development anticipates providing those payments to eligible residents beginning the week of Nov. 23.
For Elkhart County, one of the most economically depressed areas of the country, the extension is a "tremendous blessing," said Dean Preheim-Bartel, executive director of Church Community Services in Elkhart. With up to 20 weeks of extra assistance available, struggling local families will be able to stay in their houses through the winter months instead of losing their shelter and having to live on the streets.
The bill signing came a day after the House, displaying rare bipartisan agreement over the troubling employment picture nationally, voted 403-12 to pass the measure. The Senate approved it unanimously on Wednesday.
The White House said the law, which also includes tax cuts for struggling businesses, builds on the provision in the $787 billion stimulus package enacted in February to avert an economic meltdown.
"The need for such a measure was made clear by the jobs report that we received this morning," said Obama, citing Friday's government report that the jobless rate hit 10.2 percent last month, the highest since 1983.
He called it a "sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead" and vowed that, "I will not rest until all Americans who want work can find work."
The cost of the unemployment benefits extension, about $2.4 billion, is offset by extending a federal unemployment tax that employers must pay.
Indiana DWD is waiting on the details of the extension and eligible requirements from the U.S. Department of Labor, said Marc Lotter, spokesman for the state agency. However, the state expects to have a program ready the last full week of November. Hoosiers who have exhausted their benefits can apply for the extra assistance through Uplink, the state's online unemployment benefits system.
"Our goal is to have these benefits in people's hands before Thanksgiving," Lotter said.
Checks going to eligible jobless workers should be in the same amount as before the benefits were exhausted, Lotter said.
Although a few of the larger recreational vehicle manufacturers in Elkhart County have been increasing production and hiring workers, the September unemployment rate measured 15 percent and families are still struggling.
Church Community Services depleted its funds for rent and utility assistance after paying out $19,000 during August and September, Preheim-Bartel said. Help with prescription medications is available only in life-threatening situations, and the food pantry recorded 2,000 visits per month in August, September and October.
"I don't anticipate this diminishing for quite some time," he said, noting his staff is seeing more families who have run through their personal savings and drained their unemployment benefits.
Across Indiana, about 8,500 residents have exhausted the final series of jobless payments known as the benefits of last resort, Lotter said.
The tax credits, added by the Senate, center on extending the popular $8,000 credit for first-time homebuyers that was included in the stimulus package. The credit, which was to expire at the end of this month, will be available through June as long as the buyer signs a binding contract by the end of April.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.