RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond residents can now apply for financial assistance through a fund established to support those impacted by the water outage earlier this month.
Applications for the fund are open now and will be accepted until March 14, or until the fund has been exhausted.
You can apply by calling 311 or by visiting rva311.com.
To qualify for assistance, you must be a resident of the City of Richmond, have "demonstrated financial hardship" related to the water outage, and have a balance owed or overdue for a bill in one of the following categories:
- Rent or mortgage payments
- Non-City Utility bills
- Healthcare expenses
- Childcare costs
- Car loan payments
The financial assistance from the city will be paid directly to your service provider or biller, such as your landlord, utility company, or healthcare provider.
While the hardship suffered by individuals during the water crisis varies greatly, Mayor Danny Avula said Wednesday that the above list of billers to whom the city will direct payment, means you likely will not qualify just because you paid more to replace your water supply.
"We want to be really empathetic to those who had to use extra water, fill up with extra filters or incur additional costs," Avula said. "I think our primary concern, though, will be people who are at risk of not being able to keep up on a car payment or on a rent payment because of the outage. I don't know that we're going to have a great answer for every different scenario that people present, but we really want to focus on people who, particularly in their housing situations, might be at risk."
The fund is an expansion of the city's existing Family Crisis Fund that supports Richmonders with critical needs. The Fund began in 2020 in partnership with the Robins Foundation initially to help people impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. City officials say Richmond has put in $2.6 million just since 2023.
The Family Crisis Fund currently has $650,000, according to interim City Hall Spokesperson Ross Catrow.
You may still be eligible for Water Recovery Assistance even if you have previously received assistance from the Family Crisis Fund. City officials say if you were helped by the Fund in the past year, you could qualify for up to $800 in recovery funding, and those who have not received support from the Family Crisis Fund in the past year may be eligible for up to $2,500.
You can also donate to the fund. Avula dedicated $25,000 from his Richmond Forward Together PAC to the initiative and urged others to donate via the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg.
“Helping our friends and neighbors is not only the compassionate thing to do, it’s also how we continue to build thriving communities that leave no one behind,” Avula wrote. “This recovery fund is an important tool to provide needed support after the recent water crisis.”
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