Writers, Actors and Others Struggle to Pay the Rent as Strikes Continue

The strikes come at a particularly vulnerable time for people in an industry still recovering from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. In the first two months of 2020, Ms. Lauren earned $20,000, her best months ever. But her income never fully recovered even once red carpet events had resumed because celebrities weren’t traveling as much and were wary of close-contact encounters, like having makeup applied. “It was very tough to get things going again,” Ms. Lauren said. “There wasn’t as much work as there was before.”

This time around, the support systems that sprung into place to carry Americans through the pandemic are gone. Eviction moratoriums have ended. There are no federal stimulus checks or supplemental unemployment insurance to help make ends meet. In many states, striking workers are not eligible for unemployment insurance. California lawmakers recently passed a bill extending unemployment insurance to striking workers there, but even if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs it, the law would not take effect until January.

Lisa Curry, a writer and stand-up comedian, gave up her Los Angeles apartment in June, put most of her belongings in storage, bought a blue 2023 Kia Forte and spent the summer driving across the country performing stand-up, staying with friends and family. “It’s been so hard for so long that by the time the strike hit, we didn’t have a big safety net,” said Ms. Curry, who is in her 30s. “A lot of us were already running on fumes.”

When the writers’ strike started, Ms. Curry, who had worked for “The Jim Jefferies Show,” did the math, and paying $2,200 a month for a room in a Mid-City apartment made no sense if there was no work to be had in Los Angeles. “I didn’t want to sit and bleed rent,” she said. After a long summer crisscrossing the country, she is staying with a friend in Mar Vista until she hits the road again in November.

The continuing strikes have left many workers feeling suspended in time as they wait for their careers to restart. Ms. Lauren now lives in her parents’ guest room, with a twin bed and a desk where she’s creating a tarot deck from vintage “Playboy” magazines. “It gives me a chance to still be an artist and still be creative,” she said.