How far will $1,400 go in Norwalk? Locals share how they're spending stimulus money
The latest of three rounds of federal stimulus payments will barely cover monthly rent and expenses for retail worker Amber Bobwich, but the 22-year-old Norwalk resident is still grateful for any bit of help.
“I think it’s great what they’re doing,” she said of the government funds. “A lot of us have been cut on hours and aren’t able to work that much. The fact that the government and everyone else is helping is wonderful.”
Bobwich, like many Americans, has to decide where the $1,400 will go, and living in one of the country’s most expensive counties makes it harder to stretch those dollars.
When the coronavirus pandemic first broke out, the Norwalk resident was out of work. The retail store in the SoNo Collection where she worked cut hours last March and left Bobwich without an income for three months. Bobwich is now back at the store part-time and making Instacart food delivery runs on the side. She said she’s looking forward to receiving the stimulus check to bolster her income.
Her East Norwalk apartment is $2,300 per month, a cost which she splits with one roommate. Rent and expenses, coupled with paying off car repairs from a minor accident last year, have Bobwich thankful for the extra funds. The check will be divided between rent and the car repair payment, she said.
“Obviously any amount of free money is amazing,” Bobwich said.
For fiscal year 2019, rent prices for the Stamford and Norwalk area were higher than 92 percent of Connecticut, with a monthly median of about $1,200 for a studio, $1,500 for a one-bedroom apartment, $1,900 for a two-bedroom and $2,400 for a three-bedroom apartment, according to rentdata.org.
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