Eviction moratorium to end July 31; Virginia’s rent relief program to continue

NEW RIVER VALLEY, Va. (WDBJ) - The moratorium on evictions ends at the end of July.

And there are growing concerns for what it will mean for renters in our hometowns, but state leaders say there is still relief out there for those who may need it.

Although the federal eviction moratorium ends July 31, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) says there’s still rent relief available through the state’s Rent Relief Program (RRP).

“The Virginia Rent Relief Program has been going on since June of 2020 and the program is there to assist with rent arrears, as well as it does pay three months in advance if you, if you do meet the income threshold for that,” said Amanda Love, the associate director of human resources and communications at Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) spoke at a recent state housing commission update, and says the RRP program has already provided a huge relief to many Virginians.

“You’re number one out of 50 states, actually 51 including the District of Columbia, in the percentage of the dollars that Virginia has received that have been allocated to renters,” said Senator Kaine.

“Here and even through recovery with getting folks, you know, back to normal, we understand that folks really did have many kinds of financial hardships due to the pandemic, not just because of loss of jobs but there are many things that were affecting people’s income to, to make it hard for them to make their rental payments,” said Love.

According to DHCD, through July 14 RRP has already processed and dispersed more than $300 million in relief payments, and they will continue to do so, for those who qualify until later this year.

Landlords and tenants can learn more on their website.