Hi everyone, my name is Réka Swartz, and I am a senior in high school. I am writing this on behalf of my closest friend, who is also a senior, and her family. She did not have the resources to ask for help herself, so I am doing it for her because the situation has become too serious to stay quiet about.

My friend is the second oldest of four kids. Her mom is a single mother with major medical issues, doing everything she can to keep the family together and safe here in Charlotte. The kids are all school‑aged, and they are some of the hardest-working and good‑hearted people I have ever met. They have experienced homelessness before, and even with three of the four children contributing, and their mother working as much as she can despite her medical problems and utilising all available community resources, the family still struggles to meet their needs and now faces the real risk of losing their housing again.

They have received little to no support from the kids’ father, and the school or the school system has not been able to provide meaningful help, even though the family has asked many times. They are running out of time, and the stress has become overwhelming for them.

As friends, we see things that adults sometimes miss. My friend comes to school tired from taking care of her younger siblings, worried about where they will sleep next week, and trying to hide how hard everything has been. She still shows up to classes, still tries to smile, still tries to graduate on time, and it breaks my heart knowing there is so little I can do.

Any little thing helps, and if you can't give anything, please send this to whoever you can. This family deserves stability. They deserve a chance. They deserve to stay together without the constant fear of losing everything.