RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Rent Relief Program will not be taking new applicants after May 15.
The program’s application portal will be closed to new applicants at 11:59 p.m. on May 15, the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development announced Thursday.
The rent relief program, set up to help tenants maintain housing during the pandemic, has processed 141,330 payments for nearly 105,000 households, totaling more than $713 million through March 31, DHCD said in its release.
People applying for rent relief after April 21 will be prioritized based on their level of need moving forward, according to DHCD.
Emergency Rental Assistance calls for prioritization for households with incomes less than 50% of their area’s median income or those with one or more people who have not been employed for 90 days before the date of the application.
Applicants after April 21 will be prioritized based on this criteria and “processed on a first-come, first-served basis,” DHCD says.
Concerns over long wait periods and backlogs in the application system have been reported across the Commonwealth.
“DHCD will continue to work with partners and stakeholders across the state to create comprehensive strategies to increase the supply of affordable housing, address and prevent evictions and reduce barriers in housing throughout the Commonwealth,” the department wrote in its release.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.