Next week, scores of volunteers will be going door to door in public housing communities seeking to help 1,700 families avoid eviction because their rent is past due.

Representatives of private and public organizations will participate in the effort to be launched Tuesday, March 15, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority has announced.

The goal of the project to assist families in filing applications for rent relief through a state program.

The volunteers are to include representatives from the city’s Office of Community Wealth Building, area churches, the Center for Families in Transition, Saving Our Youth Virginia and A Better Day Than Yesterday, RRHA stated.

Participants also are to include individuals and staff from the offices of City Council President Cynthia I. Newbille, 7th District, and of 3rd District Councilwoman Ann Frances-Lambert.

Volunteers from RRHA’s staff also will undertake similar efforts on Saturday, March 12, and Saturday, March 19, the authority stated.

A final push to get the families signed up for rent relief, RRHA stated, is set for Saturday, March 26, during a community event hosted by 6th District Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson at the Annie Giles Community Resource Center, 1400 Oliver Hill Way in Shockoe Valley.

RRHA already has helped a major share of its residents apply for rent relief through the state program and collected more than $4 million in back rent.

The authority has stated that it would postpone any actions involving a renter who has filed for relief until the state program reaches a decision on whether to provide rental assistance.

RRHA officials have said that it is exploring every option available in a bid to avoid taking court action against families in arrears.

Federal regulations, though, require RRHA to either collect past due rent or seek court orders to remove families who do not pay.