The novel coronavirus has devastated economies all over the world, and Alabama is no different. Unemployment requests surged here by more than 500 percent, with 60,000 Alabamians filing for unemployment last week alone.

And people are asking for help.

According to data on the United Way’s 2-1-1 program, requests for food pantries to 2-1-1 helplines in Alabama are up by more than sevenfold. Other types of calls to 2-1-1 lines have also dramatically increased since the onset of the virus.

Washington University in St. Louis collects and analyzes data from the 2-1-1 program, which works to provide information and referrals so people can find services and resources available in a particular area. These include food, rental assistance, and many other programs.

From March 12-30, Alabama’s food pantry requests were up 720 percent over the same time last year. The 2-1-1 helpline received 2,057 calls related to food pantries over that time this year. In 2019, over the same time span, it got just 251.

WUSTL had data for 23 states, including Alabama, over a shorter span - March 12-25. Over that timeframe, Alabama’s increase in food pantry calls was more than 900 percent, and was the second highest among the 23 states where data was available. Every state tracked saw calls related to food pantries more than double, and 12 of the 23 states saw an increase of at least 500 percent.

Alabamians have been calling 211 helplines a lot over the past few weeks to ask about food pantries. | graphic by Ramsey Archibald

Alabama also saw a sharp increase in calls related to rent assistance. Those calls were up 423 percent, an increase from 210 requests from March 12-30 in 2019 to 1,099 over the same span in 2020.

Over the same shorter span where data was available for more states, Alabama’s rent assistance calls went up by 460 percent. That was by far the highest percent increase among the 17 states where data was available. Its increase of 423 percent from the 12th through the 30th would still have easily been the highest, ahead of Iowa, which saw calls increase by 265 percent.

Alabama has seen a sharp increase in the number of 211 calls related to rent assistance. | Graphic by Ramsey Archibald

Alabama also saw a jump in calls related to utility assistance, though not as drastic an increase. It has 813 such calls from the 12th to the 30th in 2019, and 2,250 over the same span in 2020, good for an increase of 177 percent.

Thousands of Alabamians have called 211 helplines for assistance with utilities. | graphic by Ramsey Archibald

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