The mayor was joined by Kelly King Horne, Executive Director of Homeward, the lead agency of the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care (GRCoC), to provide an update on services for unsheltered individuals and families in the coming months.  The city is a key funding partner of the GRCoC, the region’s network of support for those at imminent risk of or experiencing homelessness.  The GRCoC offers wraparound services for unsheltered individuals, from housing to food delivery to job training. The variety of GRCoC member organizations currently provide a spectrum of services. Most shelter options are non-congregate, traditionally a hotel room to allow for privacy and independence and guard against community spread of the coronavirus.  Said the mayor of the challenge: “Until the Richmond region and the nation as a whole address its affordable housing crisis and eradicate poverty, there will always be more individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing instability ...

Mayor Stoney recommends City Council allocate funding to mental health pilot, doula fund, gun violence prevention   The Stoney administration, working alongside Richmond City Health District, has proposed $500,000 of special purpose reserves from the projected FY2020 budget surplus go to funding three distinct public health efforts in the city.   The mayor is proposing the following: $200,000, Resource Center Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Pilot, partnering with Richmond City Health District, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority.  The yearlong pilot will fund a full-time clinician, a licensed substance use disorder counselor and a peer recovery specialist to work out of RCHD’s resource centers and provide necessary services to residents in their communities.  $150,000, Richmond Doula Fund,  partnering with  Richmond City Health District.  The Doula Fund will reimburse doulas for services and fund doula training with the goal of...

For the first time, the City of Richmond Finance Department will pick up application materials for those interested in applying for the city’s Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Program.   “Due to the ongoing pandemic, we know some seniors are uncomfortable visiting public spaces like a post office or City Hall,” said Finance Director John Wack. “We want everyone eligible for this program to participate, but transportation and public health concerns are very real barriers to participation. With curbside document pickup, we can remove that barrier.”   If applicants request curbside service, Department of Finance staff will visit the provided address to retrieve application materials from residents. Pickup will be contactless to comply with public health best practices.   At the Monday, September 28 meeting of Richmond City Council, the council approved the Stoney administration’s request to extend the deadline for the Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled Program to...

The City of Richmond has approved the first wave of grant awards for the Richmond Recovers Grant Program. 123 applicants were notified of their approved grant applications and will receive a total of $1.32 million in grant funding.  Of the 123 approved grant recipients, 42 are restaurants and nine are non-profit organizations. The city allocated three million of its CARES Act dollars to fund the grant program. “This grant program is providing much needed financial relief to small businesses and non-profit organizations that have lost revenue due to COVID-19,” said Mayor Levar Stoney. “We will continue our efforts to make more financial resources available to help our Richmond businesses.” The Richmond Recovers Grant Program still has $1.68 million to award. The Department of Economic Development is working with grant applicants to ensure that all of the required information is submitted in order for their application to be evaluated. “Nearly 500 grant applications were started usin...

  The City of Richmond has received a grant from Capital One through the company’s recently launched Impact Initiative, a program that seeks to close gaps in equity and promote social and economic opportunity in the Richmond region.  The support from Capital One will help the city fund an equity study, equity and inclusivity training for city staff, and the development of action plans to operationalize solutions throughout city policies, practices and procedures.  “Our goal is to normalize racial equity and justice within city conversations, work and culture and operationalize them so that equity and justice are visible in everything our city does,” said Mayor Stoney. “We are truly grateful for the support of partners like Capital One helping to expand our capacity to do this critical work.” “Richmond was once the second largest epicenter of the domestic trading of enslaved Africans, served as the former capital of the confederacy and was a stalwart of Massive Resistance,...

  At the September 28 meeting of Richmond City Council, the Stoney administration introduced an ordinance to amend the proposed Capital Improvements Projects for FY2020-2021, expanding the scope of the Heritage Center/Lumpkin’s Jail (Devil’s Half Acre) project. The ordinance proposes the city acquire 1305 North 5 th   Street, which historically served as part of the Burial Ground for Free People of Colour and Slaves.     The ordinance amends the Devil’s Half Acre program in alignment with the recommendations of the Shockoe Alliance and tireless work of community advocates. If the ordinance is adopted, the project would include: A pavilion and museum at the Devil’s Half Acre Site; Planning requirements for the proposed Heritage Center; Design of and improvements to the Richmond Slave Trail and Trail Head; and The acquisition of 1305 North 5 th   Street and extension of the Slave Trail to that property.   1305 North 5 th   Street was historically used as...

Update: Biennial real estate plan proposes to allot parcels for affordable development, homeownership The Biennial Real Estate plan, which was in draft form until submitted to Richmond City Council as required by ordinance, has been supplemented to include additional parcels dedicated to increasing affordable housing opportunities and providing a CIP fund stimulus. Now, the plan recommends four additional parcels go to the Maggie Walker Community Land Trust and three additional parcels be conveyed to non-profit affordable housing organizations for affordable development. The plan also identifies four more high-value parcels to convey to developers at a competitive rate. The plan also specifies that if the Richmond School Board officially declares any former public school buildings surplus, then future use opportunities for those parcels could be brought before Richmond City Council. The Biennial Real Estate Plan is a set of non-binding proposals reflective of the city’s real estate pri...