by Dan Moshenberg
Like the rest of the country, Virginia is facing an eviction crisis. This is the week to stand up and speak out or stand by as our neighbors are evicted en masse.
On June 28, Virginia’s eviction moratorium ends. On June 29, eviction courts will re-open, and their schedules are already packed. Today, June 25, Governor Northam announced a rent relief program which, while it provides some assistance, will take time to implement. Tenants will need time to wade through the application process. Time is of the essence. Governor Northam has the authority to prohibit evictions until the rent relief package is fully funded and implemented.
Please join New Virginia Majority, the Legal Aid Justice Center and Virginia Poverty Law Center in asking the Governor to prohibit evictions now. Call Governor Northam’s office and ask him to extend the eviction moratorium. To call Governor Northam: 804-786-2211, select option 1 for his voicemail.
Locally, Tenants and Workers United is organizing in the Arlandria community, where the double hit of Covid-19 and job loss has been devastating. Our neighbors in Arlandria are worried for the health of their loved ones and the stability of their housing, at least through the pandemic. Across the country, the pandemic and the economic crisis has struck particularly deeply and broadly in communities of color, particularly Black and Latinx. In Alexandria this year, Arlandria has been the epicenter of a double crisis. That crisis does not have to turn into a tragedy. We can turn this around, but to do so, to support our neighbors, we must act. Call Governor Northam and ask him to extend the moratorium.
For more details, check out New Virginia Majority’s response to Governor Northam’s rent relief program and the joint NVM – LAJC – VPLC Letter to Governor Northam[2].