Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed onto a new federal program that would put an extra $300 in unemployment benefits in the pockets of those who are out of work.

Jamie Contreras, of Huntington Station, lost his job in April and went on unemployment to provide for his wife and two children.

He says he's been struggling since the extra $600 from the government stopped coming.

Rebecca Sanin, with the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, says the $300 bonus for people on unemployment is better than nothing.

According to the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island, the economic crisis caused by the pandemic is making it harder for people to put food on the table and pay rent, but it's also leading to violence at home.

Without more help from the government, Sanin says schools could also face cuts and health and human service nonprofits that help people in need wouldn't be funded.

As Contreres struggles to find a job, he says he hopes the additional unemployment benefits come soon.

The federal program is called Lost Wages Assistance. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, states do not have to contribute it in order to receive it.