RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond officials have finally cleared the backlog of applications for its rent and mortgage payment assistance program — but several steps still need to be taken before the program can start accepting submissions again.
The “RVA Stay Gap Grant Program” is a program designed to provide targeted relief to qualified residents who are struggling to make their rent or mortgage payments. It is relatively new. While the council has repeatedly rejected lowering Richmond’s real estate tax rate over the last several years, it did approve RVA Stay in November 2024.
RVA Stay officially rolled out in 2025, offering one-time payments of $1,200 to qualifying Richmonders on a first-come, first-serve basis. Then, a year later, the program was temporarily paused on Jan. 1 — though the city didn’t announce said pause until Jan. 14…