Skip to main content
Image
Charlotte NC

Hundreds Attend Adams’ Emergency Rental Assistance Event

October 5, 2021

Event was held Friday at the Park Expo and featured representatives from the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, DreamKey Partners, StarMed, and Legal Aid of North Carolina

CHARLOTTE – Hundreds of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County residents were connected to critical help and financial assistance at the seven-hour Emergency Rental Assistance Application Pop-Up hosted by the Office of Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) on Friday, October 1 at the Park Expo and Conference Center in Charlotte. A dozen staff from RAMP CLT and DreamKey Partners were on hand to assist constituents with emergency rental assistance applications, and they were joined by representatives from the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, StarMed, Legal Aid of North Carolina, and Rep. Adams' district office staff.

"While I was proud of my district staff and our local partners for connecting so many families to rental assistance and life-saving vaccines on Friday, I'm saddened and heartbroken that so many of our neighbors still need help," said Congresswoman Alma Adams. "Early on in the pandemic, I made establishing an emergency rental assistance fund a priority because we won't be able to build back better from COVID-19 unless our families and our neighbors have safe, affordable shelter. I'm proud to have voted for billions in Emergency Rental Assistance funding for renters and landlords, including a $21 billion appropriation in President Biden's American Rescue Plan. However, no amount of federal funding can solve a problem unless we are out in the community connecting constituents to these critical resources. That is why we must continue to get the word out at home about the important work we're doing on Capitol Hill. I look forward to hosting more events to connect our constituents with their Congress, and their Congresswoman."

Over 300 people took advantage of the services provided by the pop-up event, in addition to the over 19,000 Mecklenburg County residents who have already submitted a rental assistance application with RAMP CLT. Multiple media organizations, including Fox 46 and WFAE, spoke with attendees at the event who told their stories about how emergency rental assistance would give them a hand up to recover from the pandemic.

Pictures from the event are available here, are in the public domain, and can be credited to the Office of Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D.

Earlier this year, Rep. Adams launched a page on her Congressional website to assist constituents with pandemic housing resources.

Background

"Congresswoman Alma Adams, along with the Financial Services Committee, has made establishing an emergency rental assistance fund a priority." Spectrum News, April 17, 2020.

  • Since the beginning of the pandemic, Congresswoman Adams has voted to authorize $46 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) for renters and landlords, including a $21 billion appropriation in the American Rescue Plan advanced by the Biden Administration.
  • However, as of June 30, only 11 percent of that $46 billion had been distributed by states and localities.
  • The local RAMP CLT program has been significantly more successful; through RAMP CLT, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County are among the leaders in distributing ERA funds.
  • As of June 30, RAMP CLT had distributed $14,025,886 of its $24,000,000 ERA allocation for the City of Charlotte, and $6,006,381 of its $6,700,000 ERA allocation for Mecklenburg County.
  • Any Mecklenburg County resident who meets these criteria can apply for RAMP CLT funds. Additionally, landlords can apply on behalf of eligible tenants with the consent of the tenant.

###