Posted on Jan. 31, 2025

Fund will provide financial assistance to directly pay bills for eligible Richmonders impacted by the water outage

The City of Richmond is now accepting applications for Water Recovery Assistance through a fund that has been established to provide financial support to people impacted by the water outage this month. This assistance is an expansion of the City of Richmond’s existing Family Crisis Fund that supports Richmonders with critical needs. 

Applications for assistance open today, Jan. 31, 2025. Eligible residents may apply by calling 3-1-1 or by visiting rva311.com. Family Crisis Fund requests, specific to the water outage, will be accepted until March 14 or until the fund has been exhausted. 

To qualify for assistance, individuals must be a resident of the City of Richmond, have a demonstrated financial hardship due to the water outage, and have a balance owed or overdue for a bill in one of the following categories: 

• Rent or mortgage payments
• Non-City Utility bills
• Healthcare expenses
• Childcare costs
• Car loan payments

Eligible residents can expect financial assistance to be directed towards their service provider or biller, such as landlords, utility companies, and healthcare providers. 

Since 2023, the City of Richmond has dedicated more than $2.6 million to the Family Crisis Fund to support Richmonders in need. In recent months, the City of Richmond has invested $1.17 million and more than $650,000 remains in the fund to support Richmond residents in crisis. Mayor Danny Avula has also contributed $25,000 to the Family Crisis Fund from his Richmond Forward Together PAC, and he encourages members of the community who are able to donate to contribute as well. Contributions can be made via a partnership with the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg: https://www.yourunitedway.org/rvawaterfund/ 

“A big part of building and sustaining a thriving community is investing resources to help people who are in need. The Family Crisis Fund is one of the ways we are responding to the financial impact the water outage had on our fellow Richmonders,” said Mayor Avula. “This is one of those times when we are asking people who can help, to step up and do so.” 

The Water Recovery Assistance is an expanded use of the Family Crisis Fund that was established in 2020 — in a partnership with the Robins Foundation — to support Richmonders experiencing unexpected hardship associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its formation, the City of Richmond has invested nearly $5 million into the Fund over the years.  

Individuals who have previously received assistance through the Family Crisis Fund may still be eligible for Water Recovery Assistance. Those who have already received assistance through the program in the past year may be eligible for up to $800 in recovery funding, and those who have not received support from the Family Crisis Fund in the past year may be eligible for up to $2,500.