June is Reunification Month: a celebration of children in foster care returning home and reuniting with their loved ones. But for thousands of children and families currently separated through foster care, it has been devastating to be forced to stay apart during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some families who were on track to be reunified are […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 9, 2020 CONTACT: Christie Marra, Director of Housing Advocacy christie@vplc.org (804) 615-8150 Monica Lauw, Communications Manager monica@vplc.org (804) 351-5262 RICHMOND, VA — Early Monday afternoon, the Virginia Supreme Court ordered that all residential evictions be immediately suspended for a period of twenty-one days. The order was issued in response to […]

At the Virginia Poverty Law Center, racial injustice is inextricably linked to our work eliminating poverty in the Commonwealth. Our mission is to break down the systemic barriers that keep low-income Virginians in poverty. It must be recognized that poverty rates for Black and Latinx Virginians are roughly double that of white Virginians. Therefore, we […]

When a child has been removed from their family and placed into foster care, the court must decide the child’s bests interests when determining where and with whom they will be raised. Virginia requires judges to consult with each child placed in foster care during permanency hearing proceedings to determine whether the child should return home, live with a relative, be […]