On Wednesday, Mayor Stoney announced that he will recommend part of the city’s projected surplus balance fund a pilot program dedicated to addressing mental health and substance abuse disorder challenges in underserved communities.  The city will work alongside the Richmond City Health District (RCHD) and Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) in designing and implementing this pilot.  “Richmond residents who live with mental and behavioral health challenges are experiencing compounded harms during the pandemic,” said Mayor Stoney. “But this program should not be limited to short-term relief. We need a permanent culture shift to destigmatize seeking help.” The year-long pilot aims to increase the accessibility of mental and behavioral health support in communities that suffer from disparities in care and outcomes. Director of RCHD Dr. Danny Avula asserts this begins with listening.  “Our intention with this program is to listen to the community and use that inp...

  Mayor Stoney and LGBTQ advocates raised a Pride flag at city hall to recognize the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.   “LGBTQ Richmonders should know that this city stands behind them,” said Mayor Stoney. “No matter who you love or how you identify, you are a valued member of our community deserving of love, support and justice.”   This is the first time in the city’s history a Pride flag has been raised at City Hall. The flag flies on the Broad Street side of the complex in recognition of the city’s annual PrideFest weekend.      The city chose to raise the Progress Pride flag. The flag incorporates black and brown stripes and the colors of the Transgender Pride flag to represent the necessity for champions of the LGBTQ community to bring a racial justice, inclusive lens to the work.     “We chose the Progress Pride flag both for this moment and to represent our ongoing work,” said Mayor Stoney. “To build an equitable, inclusive city, we must mo...

  Click here to read the full report On September 23, 2020, the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety presented Mayor Levar Stoney with their initial recommendations after 45 days of discussing actionable proposals to make Richmond a safer city for all residents.   “ After meeting with the co-chairs of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety and co-chairs of each of the subgroups, I am in consensus with their recommendations,” said Mayor Stoney. “They propose systems-level changes for the undeniably systemic challenges we face. The members are pushing our city in the right direction when it comes to broadening the definition of public safety and innovating our policies and programs accordingly.”   “ I appreciate the comprehensive feedback and suggestions of this group of experts and community members,” said Chief of Police Gerald Smith. “Their attention to current policies and practices and innovative reform suggestions are a welcome starting point.”   The membersh...

Funding will enable the development of 10,000 new units in the city Mayor Stoney announced today that he will introduce an ordinance to Richmond City Council to establish a dedicated funding stream to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF).    The dedicated funding from the city will leverage other affordable housing funding from state and federal governments to make possible the creation of 10,000 new, quality affordable housing units over the next ten years, a central tenet of the city’s Equitable Affordable Housing Plan.  “When every resident of Richmond is securely housed, then every resident of Richmond will truly be able to call this city home,” said the Mayor. “A dedicated funding stream will enable this vision and empower the city to address our spectrum of housing needs.” Currently, it is incumbent on the sitting mayor or council to ensure an allocation to the AHTF is in the budget. The Stoney administration has embraced this opportunity to fund Richmond’s affo...

Learn more about applying here T oday, neighborhood and community organizations from across Richmond can apply for a grant from the city to continue or expand capacity for emergency childcare and facilitated learning centers.   On Wednesday, September 16, Mayor Stoney announced that he would reserve $1 million in CARES Act funding to support trusted providers from around the city. Providers will be able to use the funds to continue to provide care more safely or expand the number of slots available in their programs.    “These neighborhood-based organizations are trusted voices in the community with a track record of caring for our kids,” said Mayor Stoney. “This funding should allow them to continue and expand that care now that working caregivers need it more than ever.”   The application background information and materials are available on RVAStrong here.    To prioritize the health and safety of children throughout the city, applicants are asked to pro...

  Application for poet laureate position open now The City of Richmond has launched the Richmond Poet Laureate Program to highlight gifted artists in Richmond and use the literary arts to provide support in an unprecedentedly challenging time.   With the freedom to develop their own projects during their term, the Poet Laureate’s main task will be to promote poetry. This will include interfacing with residents already interested in poetry and serving as a literary arts liaison to communities less familiar with the medium.   The Richmond Poet Laureate will serve as a literary leader and voice for the city for a two-year term. The first term will last from January 2021 to December 2023.   Applicants must have been a resident of Richmond or surrounding counties for the last five years and be at least 21 years of age. Lack of traditional publication credentials should not dissuade interested applicants. During the selection process, weight will be given to the applicant’...

Using updated but still unaudited figures, the City of Richmond administration is now estimating a calculated net surplus of $13.75 million at the close of FY2020.  This surplus constitutes approximately two percent of the general fund budget, illustrating successful cost-saving measures and conservative revenue forecasting in the early stages of the pandemic. As required by Ordinance 2017-215, the Department of Finance has prepared a summary of the city’s estimated general fund balance as of June 30, 2020 for City Council. That report indicates that the calculated surplus, above and beyond such required reserves as the unspent meals taxes for school facilities and the encumbrance roll forward, is estimated at $13.75 million.  “Our financial reporting continues to indicate that the city has weathered the economic impacts of this pandemic locally,” said Mayor Stoney. “This surplus is derived from fiscal responsibility and prudent management of our taxpayers’ dollars.” The city’...