Richmond City Council Declares Crisis Due to High Number of Evictions

The Richmond City Council in Virginia approved a resolution addressing what they called a “public crisis” due to the high number of evictions without legal representation, seeking to approve programs that ensure tenants have the right to an attorney during eviction or foreclosure proceedings.

Findings from the RVA Eviction Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University revealed that tenants in Richmond, Henrico, and Chesterfield counties facing eviction are nearly eight times more likely to achieve favorable outcomes when they have legal representation. These findings led the Richmond council to pass the resolution.

The same study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University estimated that evictions and forced displacement cost Richmond $35 million annually. Additionally, every dollar spent on providing legal counsel to tenants could save the city $2 in related costs.

The council’s proposal has received positive feedback from many experts, including Martin Wegbreit, former director of litigation at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (CVLAS), who stated, “The best way to keep tenants in their homes is to provide them with an attorney during eviction cases.”

The opinion of David Tisel, a member of CVLAS, was also shared. He urged council members to visit the Richmond General District Court to witness firsthand how tenants without legal representation often lose their cases. He said, “Every day, dozens of people receive eviction judgments without a real opportunity to defend themselves, and many don’t even understand what is happening.”

With this new resolution, Richmond’s fiscal 2025 budget will include $500,000 for a pilot program aimed at providing legal counsel to tenants. However, some believe this amount falls short, as CVLAS estimates that providing legal representation for all eviction cases in Richmond for one year would cost approximately $9.3 million.

This council meeting also addressed other housing-related issues affecting the city of Richmond, including the difficulties residents face in finding affordable housing. As a result, a series of grants were approved to support the construction of more than 1,000 affordable housing units in the city, which is expected to encourage developers to build new housing.

Seven development projects were unanimously approved, including 78 units at 1711 East Bellevue Avenue, 43 units at 1201 East Brookland Park Boulevard, 236 units at 250 East German School Road, and 151 units at 6951 West Carnation Street.

Two other proposals related to the city’s real estate tax rate — one to maintain the rate at $1.20 per $100 of assessed value and another to reduce it to $1.16 — were postponed until a future meeting.

Available Foreclosures:

Richmond: 45 homes available

Henrico County: 32 homes available.

By Elías DaSilva | 9 de Enero de 2025