Loudoun Board Approves $50K For Coronavirus Rental Assistance

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a $50,000 donation Tuesday night to the Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties' Community Emergency Relief Fund. In March, the Community Foundation established the Community Emergency Relief Fund to raise money for coronavirus emergency response and relief efforts.

The $50,000 donation will provide rental assistance to residents who may not qualify for other types of rental assistance from Loudoun County because they have what are called nonconforming leases. For example, residents renting basement apartments or rooms in a private residence may not be eligible for some of the county’s rental assistance programs but could be helped by the COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

"Truthfully, I wish it could be much more than $50,000. It's not that much," Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall said at Tuesday night's board meeting. "But to put some money aside for people who have nonconforming leases is a very, very good idea."

Furthermore, Randall said to place the money in control of the Community Foundation is a wise move because the foundation excels at overseeing nonprofit organizations in the county.

Loudoun residents in need of rental assistance can call the COVID-19 Emergency Fund and Helpline at 703-669-5040. Trained staff from Catholic Charities and Loudoun Cares complete an intake process and assess the needs of each caller.

The helpline is able to accommodate foreign language requests through bilingual staff and volunteers as well as interpreter services. To date, more than 64 households have been provided rental assistance and almost 40 percent of callers receiving support meet federal poverty guidelines.

The helpline, for example, provided assistance to a family with four children who fell behind on rent after the coronavirus crisis hit. The mother ran a daycare program and father who worked temporary jobs were no longer able to find work, and they found themselves unable to pay their rent after the stay-at-home orders were placed.

Get the latest updates on the new coronavirus in Virginia as they happen. Sign up for free news alerts and a newsletter in your Patch town.

The helpline worked with the family’s landlord to cover their rent payment with funding from the Community Emergency Relief Fund, along with funding from faith-based groups partnering with Loudoun Cares and Catholic Charities.

The Community Foundation also has received $15,000 in corporate donations and pledges to the Community Emergency Relief Fund and the Visit Loudoun Foundation’s Tourism and Hospitality Relief Fund. The donations will support the COVID-19 Emergency Fund and Helpline.

Wells Fargo and Washington Gas committed $5,000 to the Community Emergency Relief Fund and AT&T has provided $5,000 to the Tourism and Hospitality Relief Fund. In April, the Loudoun Chamber Foundation also donated more than $8,000 after launching a matching campaign among its members.

Including a $100,000 gift from Google earlier this month and the $50,000 donation from the county, the local COVID-19 emergency efforts have raised $300,000.

RELATED:

• Loudoun Supervisors Set Aside $150K For Emergency Food Relief
• Loudoun Nonprofit Wins $25K Grant To Provide Coronavirus Relief
• Coronavirus Emergency Relief Fund Created For Loudoun, Fauquier