Richmond resident getting answers on water recovery fund

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -Talita White says she applied to Richmond’s Water Recovery Fund the day it opened because she needed assistance paying her rent. She received confirmation emails, but that was the last she heard until she contacted 12 On Your Side for help.

White was tuning in when Mayor Danny Avula announced a fund would be created to help neighbors impacted by the water crisis.

“I’m like, okay, he’s getting some things done. I didn’t know at that exact moment that I would have to be going through this ordeal,” she said.

White is on a fixed income, meaning every dollar counts, and most of it goes towards her rent. She documents everything from email timestamps to budgeting notes so she can keep tabs on her necessities. Despite her attentiveness, she struggled to make ends meet following the water crisis.

“I receive one certain amount a month, and that’s it. And my bills normally take up most of what I have, so any extra money that I had, I had to use to buy water that normally would be 3.99, 4.99, was 10.99 or 15.99,” White said.

Like many, she had to drive around to find stores that had water in stock, and the few that did had prices that were too high for her budget. She bought it anyway because it was something she needed at the time. Once the city started doing its water distribution events, she went to those, too, and now keeps an emergency stash at home because she does not want to be in this situation again.

White says she also had to eat out more during the water crisis since she did not have water to cook or clean with. She ultimately could not make ends meet to pay her February rent. She was waiting for her part of the fund to arrive so she could make the payment.

She thought she would be the perfect candidate for the recovery fund since the city had said it was for people impacted by the crisis and unable to make payments. But she had not heard from anyone for months.

“I received a confirmation email stating that the city had received my request for the water recovery fund and that I would be contacted by one of the partners who is actually a part of the city for the recovery fund and issuing the funds. So, I waited and I didn’t hear anything. So, I gave it another six or seven days, and I still didn’t receive anything, and I’m waiting, checking my emails daily, checking my phone daily, and I’m still not receiving anything. So, I decided to call the city of Richmond, which is the 311 number, and very nice ladies answered the phone, but unfortunately they didn’t have any more information to provide me than what was in the email,” she said.

She says the problem only gets worse the longer it is dragged out. After not paying her rent, she received a letter with a court date.

“I have received an unlawful detainer from my landlord,” she said. “Now I have accrued late fees. Now, I have accrued attorney fees. So now, my amount has went up tremendously for the month of February.”

She says she sent the unlawful detainer to Mayor Danny Avula and has been trying to speak with him or anyone who can give her answers. She says she knows four people in a similar situation who have yet to be contacted about their water fund application.

Even if White did not qualify, she just wishes that communication had been available, as it would have helped her with her planning and her bills.

“I think that if they had maybe thought this out or made more of an organization for this process, it may have helped a lot more people. And I’m hoping that some people have been helped at this point; I just don’t know any of them,” she said.

Mayor Avula’s team sent the following statement to 12 On Your Side:

“The City received more than 2,220 requests for Water Recovery Assistance support in the first weekend after the request period opened on January 31. Given the program criteria, the expectation was that available recovery funding would be fully committed to requests received. Accordingly, the request period was paused. The city invested roughly $650,000 to support the effort, Mayor Avula invested $25,000 from his Richmond Forward Together PAC, and some private donors also made contributions. Requests are in the process of being reviewed, in collaboration with referral partner organizations, to determine eligibility. This process takes time due to the volume of requests received. Also in process are efforts to have individuals who made requests complete the necessary application and verification processes for relief of eligible expenses. This includes steps like documenting financial hardship and an overdue bill. Relief payments made through this process will go directly to third-party vendors to which bill payments are owed.”

12 On Your Side flagged White’s situation to the Mayor’s team. Shortly after, she received a call from someone helping work on her case.

White is now sending documents and identification to verify her situation. While she is still unsure if she will receive the funds, she can now submit documents for approval.

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