UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Since the eviction moratorium ended one month ago, millions of Americans are in fear of facing eviction.
The eviction moratorium allowed for renters and homeowners eviction to be protected due to COVID-19.
In North Carolina, thousands of people are at risk of getting kicked out of their homes.
According to a survey by LendingTree, 60% of North Carolina renters who say they're behind on bills believe they are likely to face eviction in the coming months.
However, there are programs that can help.
"It kept piling up and I was not making a dent and that's kind of how it all started," Union County resident Yevette Walker said.
Just like thousands of North Carolinians, Walker found herself behind on rent.
"No matter how much money I threw at my rental balance, it was never good enough because the following month would come and then, boom, another rental payment," Walker said.
As an at-home nurse practitioner, when COVID hit, her worked slowed down.
"A lot of the members that we see are elderly. So with that being said, the numbers of how many people I would see in a day was dwindling consistently," Walker said.
She was $9,000 behind on her rent and making tough decisions in order to feed her family.
Then the eviction moratorium stopped, and that's when she really felt stuck.
"I watched every time they were in the decision if they were going to extend it or not and what was that going to mean for me and my children," Walker said.
She turned to Union County for help and was enrolled in the Emergency Assistance Program, which aims to help people who are behind on their bills.
Union County is one of 12 counties in North Carolina that got federal funding.
"The goal of this program is to keep people in their homes, to keep landlords whole... it's a win-win for both. We just want to help as many people as we can. Landlords, they are a small business, they need to stay afloat as well," said Stephanie Starr, Union County Community Support and Outreach director.
So far, they have been able to help around 400 families.
"Right now, we are able to help with 18 months of assistance so we can go as far back as a year and we can pay forward as well three months at a time and then we need to reassess," Starr said.
The program is open to renters in Union County who have household income 80% or less of the median income.
You can learn more about support offered in Union County by clicking here.
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