Recognizing the benefits of eviction reduction efforts, the General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed a budget during the 2020 Special Session, allocating $3.3 million to implement the Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot (VERP). The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) was directed to design and implement the pilot.
The purpose of this pilot program is to create a local/regional coordinated systems approach to effectively prevent evictions. When evictions cannot be prevented, the system must also include how to divert evictions once the household has received an unlawful detainer. The systems approach will include creating a collective impact model where organizations that serve as a safety-net within the community collaborate to ensure households have early access to resources to stabilize their housing situations.
