AUSTIN (KXAN) — From her kitchen table, Margaret Frain-Wallace checks in with Texans via phone and email who are anxious and confused. They’re Texans who need to desperately reach someone at the Texas Workforce Commission for unemployment help to get through the tough financial times brought on by COVID-19.

Wallace is the Chief of Staff for State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio. She decided to spend two hours of her day helping out the state agency that has struggled over the past few weeks to keep up with millions of unemployment claims.

One of the biggest complaints from KXAN viewers: they call and call and call, and no one answers.

Frain-Wallace is hoping to be that real human voice on the other end of the line — someone who can provide answers and help guide them through the process.

“They’re reassured that somebody called them back and they’re very appreciative because many of them have gone now a month without a paycheck,” said Frain-Wallace. “They are scared and they have children to feed and medicine to buy.”

She was one of 178 people who participated in an online training session Thursday put on by the TWC to train Capitol staffers on how to take calls, and help guide people through the unemployment process.

Last week, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announced that nearly 200 members of the Texas Senate were volunteering staffers to assist the Texas Workforce Commission in answering calls from Texans seeking unemployment help.

The Texas Workforce Commission said as of Friday, they have around 1,500 staff and volunteers total answering unemployment insurance calls. About 350 are staffers from the Texas House and Senate.

The latest number of call takers includes permanent staff hired for expanded call centers, contract workers, TWC staff borrowed from other divisions. The TWC has six call centers compared to the four it was operating before the COVID-19 crisis, and two more should be up by next week.

In the last 33 days, the TWC said it has received approximately two years worth of claims.