Charlottesville accepting applications for housing assistance grants

Charlottesville property owners who are struggling to make ends meet have one potential tool at their disposal. The City of Charlottesville is taking applications through September 1 for a program that provides benefits to qualified households on a sliding scale.

According to an information release sent out on August 12, the Charlottesville Homeowner Assistance Program “provides assistance grants to qualifying low- to moderate-income homeowners to help with the ongoing costs of homeownership.”

To participate, households must have a combined adjusted gross annual income of less than $65,000 for FY2025 and a home’s value cannot exceed $550,000. Amounts span from $1,000 to $2,500 depending on income level. You can apply here.

Last year, 296 households received some amount of funding with a total of $610,500.

Taxable property values in Charlottesville have increased substantially in the last ten years, more than doubling from $5.95 billion in 2016 to $12.16 billion in 2026.

That has come with a doubling of revenue from real property taxes due to the City of Charlottesville from $56,542,376.45 in 2016 to $120,400,281.54. During that time, the City Council has voted to increase the real property tax rate three times with a penny increase in 22, a two-cent increase in 2024, and a penny increase this year to $0.99 per $100 of assessed value.

In March 2021, City Council adopted an affordable housing plan that committed spending of $10 million a year on support for creation of places to live subsidized via a variety of mechanisms.

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