Mayor Levar Stoney, the City’s Department of Housing and Community Development, the Richmond City Health District, project:HOMES and the local Housing and Urban Development Office are joining forces to raise awareness of the dangers of lead exposure and poisoning during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 20-26, 2019. To raise awareness of this critical issue, the Mayor and state health officials will visit the home of a family in South Barton Heights that requested a screening and participated in lead abatement. “Lead poisoning is a serious issue that can impact our children for the rest of their lives,” said Mayor Stoney. “We want every parent to know its dangers, get their kids tested and take full advantage of this free-of-charge program to ensure the safety and well-being of their children.” The city and its partners are working to educate the community on the danger of exposure to lead in the home and the importance of testing children for lead. Par...

The City of Richmond has been selected to participate in the National League of Cities’ 18-month technical assistance initiative, Cities Addressing Basic Needs to Promote Postsecondary and Workforce Success .   As part of the program, the National League of Cities, with generous support from the Kresge Foundation, will offer technical assistance to support the City of Richmond’s efforts to build strong and equitable pathways to postsecondary and workforce success. The initiative focuses on removing barriers to success after high school, such as a lack of food, housing, childcare or transportation, which too often get in the way of obtaining postsecondary degrees or certificates. Richmond’s multi-sector city team, which includes leadership from ChamberRVA, Reynolds Community College, and the Office of Mayor Levar M. Stoney, will receive targeted support to implement policies, practices and programs to remove such barriers. That support will include ongoing technical a...

Today Mayor Stoney announced that the City of Richmond would recognize Monday October 14, 2019 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In the presence of representatives from the Nottaway, Chickahominy, Patawomeck, Mattaponi, Upper Mattaponi, Cheroenhaka and Pamunkey Indian Tribes, the mayor expressed thanks for the groups’ partnership and appreciation for their contributions to the Richmond community. While the federal government recognizes the second Monday in October each year as Columbus Day, the City of Richmond has never recognized Columbus Day as an employee holiday. The City of Richmond will again be open for business this Monday, but this year requests that employees and residents alike use Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an opportunity to reflect not only upon the culture and heritage of native peoples, but also to celebrate their influence, accomplishments and resilience in the face of extraordinary hardship. “Native Americans were the first residents of Richmond,” said Mayor St...