Darby House fire survivors get extended housing support, but residents worry about what comes next
Weeks after a fire displaced more than 100 residents of the Darby House apartments, a new recovery fund is buying them more time — but the search for affordable housing remains a struggle.
Carol Chivaro has been through a hotel stay, a move to an extended stay at Woodbridge Suites in Ashland, and hours on the phone searching for a permanent place to live since the fire.
"I'm tired and I'm very stressed," Chivaro said. "I just wish it were over and I could find an apartment that I can afford. They just keep telling me thousands of dollars. $1300, $1500. I just talked to a lady, $3000 a month for a one-bedroom apartment ... $3000 dollars. You heard what I said, I told her I can't afford that."
Earlier this week, Chivaro says she and other residents learned they had until Friday to find permanent housing before Darby House would stop covering the cost of their extended stays.
"I said, where are we supposed to go Friday ... where are they gonna take us?" Chivaro said.
After CBS 6 reached out to Homes of America, the company behind Darby House, asking about the end of extended stay funding, the company responded with a memo stating that thanks to the combined efforts of the United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg, nonprofit partners, Henrico County, and an anonymous donor, a Darby House Recovery Fund has been created to support residents currently living at extended stays through the end of the month.
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