“Although Maryland also targeted relief to undocumented people who faced exclusions from the various federal programs, Schumitz said the effort did not erase the racial inequalities still affecting communities across the state.

‘The hardship rates in Maryland remain well above pre-pandemic levels,’ Schumitz said. ‘There (are) still really large racial inequities because people of color faced the hardships of the pandemic and on top of the existing structural barriers that are already causing more people of color in Maryland to be more likely to be in poverty.'”