Honorable William T. Newman
Chief Judge, 17th Judicial District
1425 N Courthouse Rd, 6th Floor
Arlington, VA 22201
Dear Judge Newman:
I am writing on behalf of the AHS Board of Directors to request that the 17th Judicial District Court delay until July 20, 2020 docketing any unlawful detainer actions and issuing writs of eviction for failure to pay rent so that tenants facing such actions are able to seek assistance through the Commonwealth’s new rent relief program.
“We do not need to add another blow that will certainly result in further hardship and even homelessness for many of these households.””
As Governor Northam announced yesterday, this new rent relief program is being launched on June 29, the day following expiration of the current eviction moratorium in Virginia. This program will serve many of the very same people at greatest risk of eviction, but it will take some time to ramp up the program to ensure that those most in need do not fall through the cracks.
COVID-19 has added several layers of crisis on top of our existing housing affordability challenges. Low-income and minority households have been the hardest hit by both the health impacts and the economic impacts of the shutdown. We do not need to add another blow that will certainly result in further hardship and even homelessness for many of these households, especially when this can be prevented by the actions of this court.
Thank you for your prompt consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Michelle Winters
Executive Director