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The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development said it will close the Virginia Rent Relief Program application portal at 11:59 p.m. May 15.

Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) requires a prioritization of assistance for households with incomes less than 50% of area median income or households with one or more people who have not been employed for the 90-day period preceding the date of application. Any application submitted after April 21 will be prioritized based on these criteria, then processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Through March 31, the Virginia Rent Relief Program has processed and disbursed more than $713 million in 141,330 rent relief payments for more than 104,990 households. In June 2020, Virginia was one of the first states in the nation to create a statewide rent and mortgage relief program with federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds, and received additional state support as a bridge between the CARES and Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funding streams.

In total, the program has received more than $1 billion in funding through federal aid and the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.