RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond city leaders are concerned about an increase in eviction filings by the public housing authority, citing the strain that an increase in homelessness could put on already limited human services and a need to bolster efforts to prevent eviction on the front end.
Earlier this month, a CBS 6 report featured a mother's process of becoming homeless with her five children.
She was evicted from Gilpin Court by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) back in January. RRHA cited a lease violation stemming from an alleged armed robbery committed by the mother's juvenile son, in which criminal charges were nolle prossed, and overdue rent.
The mother, who did not want to be identified due to concerns her children would be bullied, fought the eviction in court, but a judge ruled against her.
“It was hard. It was very hard, but I was going to fight until I couldn’t fight anymore," she recalled. “Even though I had to do it alone, I did it, and I still ended up in the street.”
Though RRHA would not comment on the specific case, the housing authority said it stood by how it has handled every past eviction.
CBS 6's report caught the attention of Councilmember Stephanie Lynch, who had been working with the mother previously. Lynch's office helped identify funding sources to keep her family in a hotel and is looking at future stable housing opportunities.
“Right now, we are helping her. We're trying to support her and getting some family crisis funding that so that she can have a happy ending to this story," Lynch said.
But Lynch believes she shouldn't have lost her home in the first place and said her story "illuminated the systemic challenges" that many other families are currently facing.
Data provided by RRHA in April showed that at least 13 families were evicted from public housing so far in 2024, and at least 58 judgements had been adjudicated.
Dozens of other cases were continued.
“Public housing is our housing of last resort. There's no question about that. There is no other landlord that serves the very vulnerable, low-income type of population that our public housing authority serves. And so with that, should they operate like any other private landlord?” Lynch said.
In March, Lynch and her colleagues requested a temporary eviction freeze, which RRHA agreed to.
The two public bodies were scheduled to hold a special meeting to discuss the topic last week, but it was cancelled. Councilmembers said they plan to reschedule it.
A chief concern for some leaders: If families become homeless, it will put pressure on city resources and the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care's shelter system which already faces capacity issues.
That considered, Council President Kristen Nye said evictions over "small amounts of money and violations that can be overcome" should be avoided if possible.
“They're still residents of the city, and now, if they've lost their housing, and they don't have another option, then we are looking to provide those services," Nye said. “And right now, we're in a housing crisis, and we don't have a lot of options.”
Adding to that concern, Lynch said, "As city leaders having perspective over the entire continuum of care, of the entire system, we recognize how critical this eviction issue is. Because we've seen that we don't have a good working front door for our individuals who are experiencing homelessness, and we know once they are evicted, how hard it is to get back into any apartment."
Councilor Andreas Addison, who is running for mayor, said he's in the process of gathering more information to determine next steps.
“I think we want to make sure we understand kind of the genesis of where these evictions are coming from. Is it an inability to pay? Are there other financial hardships?” Addison said. “What is being charged and billed to our tenants — is that right to what their incomes are?"
RRHA's accounting has been under a microscope on a local and federal level.
A recent audit by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found errors in 66% of the 35 tenant case files reviewed including issues with rent calculations.
It's part of the reason RRHA implemented its eviction pause – allowing the housing authority more time to review all cases at risk of eviction for accuracy of rent calculations.
"There needs to be a forensic audit through their books to ensure that the numbers that they have are in fact correct for each and every resident," Lynch said.
Looking ahead to long-term solutions, Addison said the council should consider ramping up access to employment opportunities for young people post graduation and collaborating with the private sector in doing so.
"I think there's an opportunity for us to really look at some of the needs we have as an economy, really focusing on workforce skills and developments for our high school graduates to be able to overcome some of the financial instability of maybe doing certain shift jobs or part time work," Addison said.
RRHA CEO Steven Nesmith has previously cited a total of $3 million in combined outstanding tenant balances, and HUD recently directed RRHA to resume rent collection efforts.
But some councilmembers questioned how debt could climb into the millions of dollars in the first place.
"We can't let this happen again," Addison said. "At the end of the day, making sure that those residents at all income levels have the ability of staying in their home as long as they can, and not facing a permanent judgment on their record."
CBS 6 requested an interview with Nesmith for this story.
An RRHA spokesperson said Nesmith would refrain from commenting until he can provide updates about RRHA's plan with his board and the city council.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
SHARE on social media to SPREAD the WORD!
