CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In the first two weeks of April, more than 15,000 North Carolinians requested help through NC 2-1-1.

According to the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, the month after the coronavirus lockdowns began, requests for housing assistance in Mecklenburg County through 2-1-1 went up 219 percent, and food assistance jumped 747 percent compared to the month before.

Even though evictions are on hold at the moment, people looking for rental assistance said they’re worried about being months behind once rent is due.

“We are suffering,” Charlotte resident Shanna Lee said. “We are at the end of the stick, basically. We’re the last thought about.”

Congresswoman Alma Adams, along with the Financial Services Committee, has made establishing an emergency rental assistance fund a priority.

The committee wants $100 billion from the federal government to help renters with monthly payments. They're also calling for $35 billion to go toward a homeowner assistance fund.