Tomorrow will be the last day of unemployment benefits for 800,000 long-term unemployed, and 2 million will lose their benefits before the New Year.  That means that this holiday season many will have no income to pay rent, the mortgage, utilities, or buy gifts for the kids.  Many will go hungry and become homeless.   UNLESS CONGRESS ACTS NOW.

“I lost my home and my family, and now I’m on the verge of being homeless,” said Rafael Guzman, a transit worker in Orlando, Florida who has been unemployed since August 2008 and is in line to lose his benefits.  “If Congress can’t create new jobs for people like me, they have to at least provide us with the unemployment benefits to help us get through this crisis.”

Jobs with Justice coalitions in dozens of cities have been challenging Senators to extend unemployment benefits, the TANF emergency fund, and to create a jobs plan that would put people back to work immediately.  Last week, Chicago JwJ was out on the street collecting petitions to save the holidays for millions of unemployed.