Contact: Cathy Crossfield | 757-473-9700 |
Oct. 31, 2016
REALTOR® relief offered for area residents impacted by Hurricane Matthew
CHESAPEAKE -- The Virginia Association of REALTORS® and Hampton Roads REALTORS® Association (HRRA), in coordination with the Partnership for Housing Affordability and the national REALTOR® Relief Foundation, are offering direct official financial assistance for housing relief to Virginians affected by October’s Hurricane Matthew and resultant damage.
Residents of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk and Virginia Beach, and Isle of Wight and York counties may apply for the REALTOR® relief monies. Aid is limited to one month of assistance, up to $1,500 per applicant and only one grant per residence, in the designated geographic areas of eligibility, and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
Specifically, assistance is available to qualified applicants towards one of the following options:
· Monthly mortgage expense for the primary residence that was damaged by Hurricane Matthew; or;
· Cost of temporary shelter due to displacement from the primary residence resulting from the hurricane.
Applications will be reviewed continually beginning Nov. 1 until resources are fully distributed. Go to http://www.varealtor.com/relief for full instructions regarding downloading and submitting the application for assistance, whether online or via mail. All information provided by applicants on the form will remain confidential and will be available only to those who need to confirm eligibility for assistance and to those who process the assistance to be provided. (This includes providing a copy of this application to the applicant’s lender or landlord, if requested.)
All grants are contingent upon the availability of funds. The REALTORS® Relief Foundation, through the Virginia Association of REALTORS®, reserves the right to accept or reject any application and, for good and sufficient reasons, to cancel any grant that it has made. The Foundation also reserves the right to change the application criteria at any time. Grants will be jointly payable to applicant and mortgage lender/landlord.
This aid is exclusively for housing relief in designated areas of impact from Hurricane Matthew; however, alternative resources may be available through the local REALTOR® associations, including HRRA. Locally, HRRA is organizing efforts for direct outreach to impacted communities.
“Our hearts go out to our communities who were affected by the flooding. It is our hope that these REALTOR® funds will help ease the ongoing challenges our neighbors face as they put their lives back together,” said Becky Claggett, 2016 HRRA Chairman of the Board.
The REALTOR® Relief Foundation (RRF) is a charitable foundation governed by the National Association of REALTORS® and dedicated to providing housing-related assistance to victims of disasters. Funds are generated by individual member gifts and contributions from state and local associations across the country.