New housing hotline opens to connect people, resources

A new hotline is accepting calls to help people get information about housing faster and more conveniently, it has been announced.

The hotline number: (804) 422-5061.

Operators are available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to help people get connected with a range of services, including financial assistance, financial education and home-buying sup- port, lending support or help in preventing a foreclosure.

Callers also can seek help with housing discrimination, to find legal support, to find assistance with home repairs, to apply to get a wheelchair ramp installed or to learn about apartment options.

This is separate from the Homeless Crisis hotline — (804) 972-0813 — operated by the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care that offers assistance to those who need shelter or are facing a loss of their home.

The new housing assistance line is the brainchild of the regional Partnership for Housing Affordability that serves the city and surrounding communities, including Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico and Powhatan counties and the Town of Ashland.

“This new line responds to the need for a centralized point of contact for those needing assistance with housing issues ranging from affordable homeownership programs to legal support,” stated Laura Lafayette, executive director of the partnership.

The hotline started last month without fanfare and provides a central connection to 55 mostly nonprofit, government and faith groups who are involved with housing.

That includes familiar names like Housing Opportunities Made Equal, the Salvation Army and the Virginia Poverty Law Center and RAMPS RVA to a host of other organizations such as Boaz & Ruth, CancerLINC, CAPUP, Human Kind, Senior Connections, Thrive Virginia and Urban Hope that are playing roles.

SOURCE: RichmondFreePress