The Brief
- Families in Alexandria, Virginia avoided eviction after Alfred Street Baptist Church paid off back rent for 318 households.
- The $1 million effort, led by Pastor Howard-John Wesley, cleared debts and kept families in their homes.
- Officials from the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority say it gave residents a fresh start with added support services.
ALEXANDRIA, VA. – Families on the brink of eviction in Alexandria, Virginia, are getting a fresh start after a $1 million donation from a local church wiped out back rent for hundreds of households.
The gift from Alfred Street Baptist Church was directed to the City of Alexandria and ultimately helped 318 families enrolled in housing assistance programs who had fallen behind on rent payments. In some cases, tenants had accumulated as much as $30,000 in back rent tied to financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, FOX 5 DC reported.
The relief effort meant that, starting April 1, affected families began the month with their housing debts fully cleared.…