Editor’s note: If you’re a Virginian impacted by Covid-related rent issues you can find out more about the state program here.
Apartments available to rent in Richmond, Va., once considered among the worst cities in the country for evictions, progressive Democrats hope to enshrine covid-related tenant protection laws into the state’s notoriously landlord friendly law books. (Courthouse News photo / Brad Kutner)
RICHMOND, Va. (CN) While Virginia isn’t the only state facing an eviction crisis under the weight of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it has a history of being less tenant friendly with few protections for those who fail to make rent.
The Richmond City Council is poised to dedicate millions more on an annual basis for the construction of new affordable housing in the city.
A council panel on Thursday endorsed a measure proposed by Mayor Levar Stoney that would establish a steady funding source for the cityâs Affordable Housing Trust Fund. A majority of the councilâs returning members say they support passing it when the ordinance comes up for a vote in early 2021.
âWe are far behind in making this move,â said Ellen Robertson, the 6th District councilwoman who backs the measure.
If approved, the ordinance would direct new tax dollars from expiring real estate abatements to the city fund that supports private development projects with units reserved for people earning less than the regionâs median income, which is approximately $89,000.