A new program hopes to connect people in need of rent relief with money that’s already here in Virginia.
The federal government sent Virginia about a half billion dollars for rent relief last December with the stimulus package, and then another half billion dollars with the American Rescue Plan. But the people most in need of rent relief often might not have the resources to access that money.
Austin Bouffard is a paralegal at the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley. She's been working with people who don't have automobiles or even computers. "It's hard to fathom in 2021 someone not having an email, but that's the case for some of our clients," she notes
Since March, Bouffard's helped secure $143,000 from 22 applications. That's helped people in Roanoke Valley, but it's only a start.
David Beidler is executive director at the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley, and he says a new $3.3 million grant will help get all that unclaimed rent relief to families in need across the state. "This new grant hopefully is going to provide funding for people like Austin in every legal aid office in Virginia, and there are 35 of them. So we hope to be able to reach the underserved populations in every nook and cranny in Virginia," Beidler says.
The outreach effort will focus on underserved areas, including minority communities and parts of Virginia with high rates of poverty.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
