As of Tuesday, May 20, 2025, due to the lack of federal funding for rental assistance programs from the federal government in Washington D.C., the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) has suspended the issuance of tenant-based vouchers from the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (formerly Section 8) waiting list. Currently, RRHA has offered the maximum number of housing vouchers that the Agency’s budget authority will allow in order to give waitlist families affordable housing options in the current market.
“Housing authorities across the country are grappling with the same issue of proposed federal budget cuts impacting the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the federal dollars public housing authorities receive. RRHA is no different. It is our goal to continue to administer our HCV Program in the most efficient and effective way possible despite what is taking place on the federal level.”
–CEO Steven Nesmith
Applicants who were scheduled and/or selected to receive their vouchers are being placed back on the waitlist. Additionally, in-person waitlist Voucher Briefings have been suspended until further notice. While the waitlist is being updated, applicants for all RRHA programs who want to know their status are asked to call the Customer Call Center at 804-780-4200.
Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers are not impacted, and RRHA will continue to issue vouchers based on referrals from the Virginia Medical Center (VAMC). There will be no impacts to landlord HAP (Housing Assistance Payments).
Currently, there are 4,042 families on RRHA’s HCV waitlist and those individuals WILL NOT LOSE THEIR SPOT. Once funding is available, RRHA will once again begin selecting from the waitlist. Selected families who did not receive a voucher will be placed back on the waitlist in order of their application submission. RRHA estimates that approximately 395 families will be returned to the HCV waiting list.
Additionally, there are 283 voucher holders in the process of searching for housing. The deadline for voucher holders to locate housing is 120 days from the date of issuance. Depending on the date of issuance, their vouchers will expire sometime between September 2025 and October 2025. RRHA will continue to incentivize landlords to accept the remaining newly issued vouchers by offering a payment of up to $250 per executed HAP contract, and assist families by reimbursing payments up to $150 per family for leasing fees. Voucher holders who do not submit a completed leasing packet on or before their voucher expiration date, their vouchers will expire, and they must reapply once the waiting list reopens.
For more information concerning this and other RRHA HCV-related programs and initiatives, please contact RRHA’s Call Information Center at (804) 780-4200.