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Eviction filings rising; diversion program effective but narrow, advocates urge easier eligibility
Summary
Staff told the Virginia Housing Commission that eviction filings in 2025 are trending up toward pre‑pandemic levels and that an eviction diversion pilot has high success for enrolled households. Advocates urged loosening strict eligibility — including lowering an initial 25% payment requirement to 10% — and commissioners discussed outreach to judges and funding gaps in related eviction‑reduction grants.
Commission staff presented new eviction data showing filings and executed writs in Virginia are rising toward pre‑pandemic levels, and advocacy groups used the commission meeting to press for changes to eviction diversion eligibility.
Jessica, a commission staffer, said the data — drawn from the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Legal Services Corporation Civil Court Data Initiative — show a 3.5% increase in executed writs when comparing the first reported 12‑month period to the next 12 months ending June 30, 2025, and roughly a 0.5% increase in filings over the same interval. Using available filing and execution data, staff estimated that about 16%–17% of filings resulted in executed writs in the 2023–2025 window. Jessica cautioned that pandemic years are outliers and that additional context is needed to explain the drivers of rising filings.
Staff also compared four cities that participated in the eviction‑diversion pilot (Richmond, Danville, Hampton and Petersburg). Annual filings rose in Richmond (about a 9% increase from 2023 to 2024) and were up slightly in Danville; Hampton and Petersburg declined over that interval. Jessica said diversion programs and local conditions can produce different local trajectories and that a fuller year of 2025 data would allow firmer conclusions.
During public comment, Christy Mayer of the Virginia Poverty Law Center said the diversion program is ‘‘very successful’’ for participants but that uptake is low because the statutory eligibility criteria are restrictive. Mayer said current law requires tenants entering diversion to pay 25% of the alleged amount due at the first court date and then make monthly payments, that the program can typically be used once per year, and that code disqualifiers (for example, limits tied to prior late payments) narrow eligibility. Mayer said advocates have drafted a bill to lower the initial payment to 10% and remove barriers that prevent otherwise appropriate participants from accessing the program.
Commission members asked whether courts or advocates need funding to implement diversion more broadly. Brandy Singleton, director of legislative and public relations for the state court system, said she had emailed general district court judges offering materials and resources and that judges commonly view the current criteria as too strict for the ‘‘average unlawful‑detainer case,’’ limiting program use. Advocates clarified that the Virginia Eviction Reduction Program (VERP), a separate DHCD‑administered grant program that funds nonprofits, supports eviction reduction work in certain ZIP codes but does not equate to the court‑run diversion process; speakers said no VERP grantees currently operate in Northern Virginia or the Richmond metropolitan area and urged additional funding for VERP to support local prevention work.
Commissioners said the commission staff will continue to track the data and provide an update in 2026. Several members suggested clearer outreach to judges and localities so courts know the diversion option exists and how to enroll tenants when appropriate.
