ForKids Reaches 1,000-Award Milestone in Statewide Eviction Prevention Pilot Program

On a recent weeknight in South Norfolk, about a dozen people gather in a bright conference room at ForKids’ Landmark Center for an eviction prevention clinic. While some of their children sit nearby, giggling and flipping through coloring books, the adults listen intently.

At the front of the room, ForKids Eviction Prevention Specialists Yolanda Burrus and Audrey Callaham guide participants through a budget exercise, one of many tools designed to help families stay in their homes.

“Congratulate yourself for being here,” Callaham tells the group. “It’s not easy to show up for yourself or to ask for help.”

Later, a participant speaks up. “It’s hard to make a budget when you don’t have enough money,” she says.

Around the room, heads nod in agreement.

Burrus and Callaham respond with empathy, knowledge, and practical steps. They understand, and they know what’s at stake. Eviction can upend every part of a person’s life, from their job to their health to their child’s education. But, as ForKids is showing, with the right support at the right time, families can avoid eviction and regain their footing.

This classroom moment is just one small part of a growing effort with big results. In October 2025, ForKids made its 1,000th award through the Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot (VERP), a milestone that represents real change in the fight against housing instability in Hampton Roads.

What is VERP?

Launched in 2020, the Virginia Eviction Reduction Pilot is a state-funded initiative designed to tackle Virginia’s unusually high eviction rates through a collaborative, systems-based approach. Administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the program supports local organizations such as ForKids as they help families avoid eviction before a crisis becomes a courtroom case.

Virginia’s eviction process is among the fastest in the country, sometimes taking as few as 48 days from missed rent to an eviction. And the numbers are stark: According to the Eviction Lab at Princeton University, in 2018, Virginia’s eviction rate was 5.12%, nearly three percentage points above the national average. Five of the 10 U.S. cities with the highest eviction rates are right here in Virginia, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, and Newport News.

“The roots of the problem are complex, but skyrocketing rents, flat wages, and a lack of affordable housing all play a role,” Jordan Crouthamel, Senior Program Manager for VERP at ForKids. “Regardless of the cause, the consequences are devastatingly clear. Families lose their homes, their jobs, and often their ability to rent again. Children are forced to switch schools. Mental health declines. Stability vanishes.”

Through VERP, Crouthamel said, ForKids aims to intervene early, provide resources, and, when necessary, offer court-based support to minimize harm.

The ForKids Approach

ForKids began its VERP work in April 2023, initially serving Chesapeake and Portsmouth before expanding to Suffolk and Norfolk. With a dedicated team of seven, the program has grown steadily, and strategically, ever since.

“This is a pragmatic and balanced approach that benefits renters, landlords, local governments, and the commonwealth,” said Bjorn Koxvold, Government Relations Manager at ForKids. “We’re effective because we build bridges—working collaboratively and quickly with everyone at the table to craft solutions that last. Preventing a family from falling into homelessness isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s fiscally responsible: stabilizing a family early costs far less than addressing a crisis later.”

At the heart of ForKids’ VERP model are monthly in-person clinics that combine eviction education with hands-on life skills. Participants learn about the eviction process, their rights and responsibilities as tenants, financial literacy, budgeting strategies, and how to be proactive, effective communicators with landlords.

 “We’ve designed our program around sustainable solutions,” Crouthamel explained. “We provide the right resources at the right time.”

From there, one-on-one screenings help the ForKids team identify what kind of support each participant needs. That may be direct rental assistance, help catching up on back payments, or connections to legal aid through trusted partners including the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia.

“The families ForKids helps through VERP reflect recognizable patterns,” Crouthamel said. “The typical participant is a single mother with two children, earning less than $40,000 per year, and spending half her income on rent. These are often working families and individuals, just one unexpected bill or health crisis away from instability.

Looking Ahead

The success of ForKids’ VERP program lies in its coordinated approach. No single organization can tackle eviction alone, but when courts, landlords, legal advocates, and nonprofits work together, real change happens.

“Reducing eviction is about more than keeping people housed,” said Crouthamel. “It’s about building healthier, more stable communities. Every time we prevent an eviction, we create a ripple effect that touches education, public health, workforce stability, and so much more.”

The 1,000th VERP award marks a powerful milestone for ForKids, but the work is far from over. The team remains focused on evolving its methods, strengthening partnerships, and reaching more families before a crisis becomes a court date.

“Reaching 1,000 awards is exciting, but what that number represents on a human level is far more important,” said Crouthamel. “It means families didn’t have to pack up in a hurry. Children stayed in the same school. And eviction records never appeared on someone’s permanent rental history, giving them a real chance to move forward.”

Back in that Chesapeake conference room, Burrus and Callaham close out their workshop. Parents gather their belongings, children in tow. They leave with something more lasting than brochures and worksheets: knowledge, connection, and a sense of possibility.

Because for every award, every workshop, and every conversation, the goal at ForKids is the same: to make stable housing not just a hope, but a reality.

Find out more about VERP.