Housing and Utility Resources

About

The Piedmont Housing Alliance can help you find affordable rentals.  You can also get one-on-one, confidential help with:

• Rental counseling and Landlord/Tenant problems
• Homeownership
• Down payment Loan Program
• Foreclosure prevention
• Fair Housing Education

Contact

If you are interested in renting an affordable apartment or have questions about renting, contact the Property Management Department at 434.817.2436.

About

The City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County may be able to offer up to $1,000 to help residents pay their rent.

Contact

Community Resource Line: 434.326.0950 (English) or  434.373.0930 (Spanish)

For eligibility questions, contact:
Contact Gretchen Ellis, City Human Services Department
 434.970.3967

About

Alliance for Interfaith Ministries' (AIM) purpose is to provide temporary emergency assistance to families threatened with homelessness, loss of power or fuel, or other temporary financial crises. (AIM) seeks to keep families from being evicted or losing their electricity, to provide access to much needed medical care, and to help with essential living and work-related expenses.

Eligibility

To receive rent assistance you must:

• Be a resident of Albemarle County
• Normally have enough income to pay all monthly bills if it weren’t for a one-time emergency
• Provide documentation of the specific emergency that prevents payment of the expense or bill for which you are requesting help (i.e., job termination notice, doctor’s note of medical emergency, receipt for unusual expense, etc.)
• Provide documentation of household income

Contact

Complete the assistance form on website

Phone: 434.972.1704

About

Hearthwood Townhouse Apartments provides affordable studio, 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and accept Section 8 Housing vouchers.

Eligibility

Eligibility factors include

• You must be an area resident
• Households earning less than 60% of the area median income qualify for units with reduced rent

To know for sure if you qualify, you must contact the property directly.

Contact

Property Manager
Phone: 434.295.2174
Email: propertymanager@hearthwoodapartments.com

About

The Hope House program offers housing and intensive case management for families facing homelessness in our community. The program works with up to four families at a time to provide a safe home, stabilize the family, reach employment goals, attain money management skills, and maintain a healthy, stable home environment.

Eligibility

• You must have a strong desire and ability to work on credit repair, income enhancement through education, improved money management, and other skills that will have a positive impact on future housing opportunities.
• Housekeeping skills and basic home management are an important component of the program as well. 

Contact

Nancy Kidd, Hope House Director: 
Phone: 434.295.3171 ext. 3021
Email: nkidd@macaa.org

About

The Emergency Shelter is a 58-bed shelter available for overnight stay or for stays of several weeks or months at a time. There is no charge for the service. Residents are given linens, three free meals a day, and casework when needed. Residents can receive assistance in finding employment, saving money, and locating suitable housing. 

The Center of Hope Transitional Housing Program offers nine one- and two-bedroom apartments in a two-story building located at 207 Ridge Street. Guests share a furnished apartment, food service through the soup kitchen, and set life-changing goals. A waiting list is maintained as this program fills quickly. This program is based on prior success as a resident of the shelter and a holistic approach working with the Corps Officers and corps staff.

Eligibility

• An imminent eviction or foreclosure must be in process.
• Fall within income upper limits that are partly set by the federal government HUD agency.
• Not have any other options available to you and have used up all other aid, such as area churches, Social Services, or CARES.
• Prove that you can return to self-sufficiency and begin paying your rent on time in the near future. 

Contact

Stop by the Salvation Army or contact:
434.295.4058  
charlottesvilleva@uss.salvationarmy.org 

About

The Crossings represents the Charlottesville area’s first permanent supportive housing community for formerly homeless individuals. It’s also a mixed-income community in which 30 of the 60 studio apartments are designated for individuals who may not have experienced homelessness but whose incomes are 50 percent or less of the area median income.

Eligibility

Affordable apartments

• You must make between $1,382 and $2,200 per month
• Rent is $582 per month

Homeless apartments

• You must prove that you have been homeless for at least a year.

About

The Haven administers a HUD, "Homeless Prevention."  

Eligibility

• Individuals or families whose gross income is at 30% or less of area median income 
• There must be a history of prior homelessness and a risk of losing housing within 14 days or less

Contact

To be screened for this program, please call the Haven's Coordinated Entry Screening line at 434-207-2328 and leave a message. 

The call will be returned within 24hrs-48hrs by one of the intake specialists.

About

Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter provides temporary financial rental assistance through grant funded housing programs. The availability of these programs changes through the year, and are operated on a first come first serve basis. 

Eligibility and Contact

To determine if you or your household qualifies for housing assistance you must first contact the Centralized Housing Intake Line at 540.271.1701. 

You will be required to leave a message with your name, number, and brief description of your housing crisis and a trained intake counselor will contact you and complete an assessment. 

Contact

540.271.1701

About

Dominion Virginia Power collects contributions to fund the Energy Share  program that helps pay electricity, heating and cooling, and related fuel bills. If you qualify for Energy Share assistance, you can receive help with any electric or fuel bill (from any local utility company), heating oil, natural gas, propane, kerosene, or even fire wood. 

Contact

To apply, call the Salvation Army in Charlottesville at 434.295.4058 for an appointment. 

Applications must be made in person at the 207 Ridge Street office.

About

The purpose of this program is to help eligible low-income households offset expenses associated with heating and/or cooling their home.

Types of assistance include:

• Crisis Assistance: assistance with heating emergencies
• Fuel Assistance: helps pay heating fuel costs including wood. 
• Cooling Assistance: Assistance with cooling bills
• Weatherization Assistance: Applies to Energy efficiency & Air Filtration

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for any of the components, certain citizenship criteria must be met and a household’s income must be less than the maximum allowed for the number of people in the home.   
 
Other requirements include:

Fuel Assistance: You must be responsible for paying the heating bill. 
 
Heating Crisis Assistance: There must be a heating emergency, such as:

• Lack of heat
• Imminent utility cut-off
• Inoperable or unsafe heating equipment

Cooling Assistance: You must have or be in need of cooling equipment and there must be an elderly person, a person living with a disability, or a child under 6 living in the home

Contact

Apply through CommonHelp website

About

Salvation Army Services provides utility assistance to Shenandoah county residents who have a disconnection notice for electric, water, and heat source bills

Eligibility 

This assistance is limited to individual/household use once every 2 years per Salvation Army requirements, and the amount of assistance provided is based on donations received.  

To apply for Utility Assistance, you must contact the Salvation Army Assistance office to complete a HelpLink Assessment. 

If assistance is offered, clients are required to complete, sign, and return the Salvation Army Application for Assistance. 

Contact

Salvation Army Assistance Office
Phone: 540.459.3212