NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - According to local agencies, the eviction moratorium that ended in June of this year has caused homelessness to rise in our area.
Since the moratorium ended, more than 49,000 families have gone to court and more than 15,000 have lost their homes in the state of Virginia.
Current projections for the next 8 weeks have more than 8,000 families appearing in court to decide whether or not they will keep their homes.
Charvalla West, United Way Chief Operating Officer, said there are resources in place to help families facing eviction or experiencing homelessness. Those resources include an eviction court navigator, an advocacy and referral service, expediting rent relief applications, and they even work to get funds to pay past due balances.
“It can feel hopeless especially for folks who haven’t yet gone back to work or even if I get help today what am I going to do tomorrow?” said West.
LINK director Lynne Finding said they are currently preparing for an increase of homeless individuals this winter. They are collecting donations and preparing shelters. She said they're projecting 150 a night, which is 35 more on average than last winter.
“It’s our duty always to help but right now especially we need to pay it forward what we have and make sure the person behind us is sheltered and housed and assisted with housing and any other support that they need,” Finding said.
For more information on how you can help, head to https://www.linkhr.org/.
To attend the next volunteer sign-up event for United Way, stop by Back Creek Park in Yorktown on Sept. 16 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
