MISSION
Happy Hour Fund aims to support excluded workers from the Greater Los Angeles and Washington metropolitan areas through direct assistance with donations from our local communities. We are currently offering a $200 financial assistance grant as well as other necessities for workers in need.
Excluded workers are individuals who lack access to employment and financial security, and/or cannot access aid such as unemployment insurance, pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA), stimulus checks, healthcare, sick pay, hazard pay, pensions, etc. This includes undocumented workers, sex workers, workers with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, or others who are excluded from accessing social services.
With the onset of COVID-19, ‘essential workers’ have been laid off or forced to continue working with limited support. Despite being ‘essential,’ these individuals are often treated as expendable.
‘Essential’ workers were already at a disadvantage before the pandemic—rarely provide healthcare, adequate wages, or job security, and many of these workers are members of vulnerable communities. Excluded workers face these disadvantages and more—many are expected to keep working without being granted hazard assistance.
Through this fund, we aim to support excluded workers in our community by alleviating some of the financial burden caused by the pandemic through direct cash relief and distribution of other necessities. We also hope to raise awareness about the disparities facing excluded workers, and how these disparities have been exacerbated by the pandemic.