Today, the city launched a program to provide rent and mortgage assistance to non-citizen and mixed immigration status households in Richmond. This program is designed to support those Richmonders excluded from federal assistance due to their immigration status.
 
The program is made possible by a $250,000 grant from the Open Society Foundations, a non-profit organization based in New York dedicated to providing assistance to groups excluded from federal assistance, such as non-citizens, mixed-status families and those with limited English proficiency working in domestic service jobs and other essential industries.
 
To assist as many households as possible, funds per household will be limited to $1500 or up to two months of rent, whichever is less. This support program is intended to aid households who are having trouble paying rent due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants who have not received any other cash assistance throughout the pandemic will be given priority.
 
Applicants will work with the bilingual staff of the city’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Help1RVA to determine their eligibility for the program, apply for assistance and complete the verification process.
 
“We are grateful for this grant, which will allow us to help bridge the gap for those individuals and families who usually are excluded from receiving government assistance and who play a crucial role in keeping our economy going,” said Karla Almendarez-Ramos, Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
 
The funds will be sent directly to the landlord or property manager. Applicants must provide proof of income and a valid lease or mortgage statement confirming the landlord-tenant relationship.
 
Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) of Virginia, the administrator of the city’s Eviction Diversion Program, will be in charge of making payments to landlords and property managers.
 
“HOME of VA is proud to partner with the City of Richmond as the fiscal agent to ensure access for vulnerable, underserved, and at-risk populations in the most integrated settings within the community,” said Monica Jefferson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of HOME. “Housing assistance can make a significant difference in the economic well-being of low-income families and those facing complex housing barriers.”
 
“If there’s one lesson we should take away from this pandemic, it is that everyone, regardless of immigration status, deserves a place to feel safe and secure,” said Mayor Stoney of the program. “This targeted effort will support families often overlooked in the design and implementation of public support programs, and I am so thankful that so many were willing to come around the table and find a fix to this challenge.”
 
Interested parties can learn more here.
 
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Today Mayor Stoney announced the members of the Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety and outlined his primary requests of the diverse group of professionals. The majority of task force members stood with the mayor for the announcement.
 
“There is a lot of work ahead of us, but this group’s diversity of expertise and lived experiences is a key asset on our path forward,” said the mayor. “I am thrilled to have this team help our city heal.”
 
The members of the task force bring an array of perspectives from activist, legal, academic, law enforcement, emergency services, artistic, healthcare and other fields. At the close of a 45-day period, the task force will bring the mayor a set of actionable steps forward to build a safer city for all.
 
“After additional conversations and review of actions taken in other cities, I do not believe we can wait to begin acting on reform recommendations,” said Mayor Stoney. “I have asked this task force to report back with initial recommendations within 45 days of their first meeting.”
 
The mayor established three foundational requests of the task force: reviewing the police department’s use of force policies, exploring an approach to public safety that uses a human services lens and prioritizing community healing and engagement.
 
“We need a new process for noncriminal and nonviolent calls for service, and that will be a top priority for this task force,” noted the mayor. “We must center compassion instead of consequences.”
 
Regarding community healing and engagement, the mayor said that the task force will allow the city to explore methods of engagement that will enable meaningful change, using his support for the Virginia Black Legislative Caucus’ legislative package as an example.
 
“Last month I expressed my support for the VBLC’s package for the summer session,” said Mayor Stoney. “This task force can determine where the city can explore complimentary legislation and where we need to focus community advocacy to make statewide change a reality.”
 
Members of the Task Force
Sergeant Carol Adams, Richmond Police Department
Ram Bhagat, Manager of School Culture and Climate Strategy for RPS
Glenwood Burley, retired RPD officer
Keisha Cummings, community engagement specialist, founder of 2LOVE LLC, member of the Richmond Transparency and Accountability Project and the Richmond Peace Team
Torey Edmonds, Community Outreach Coordinator at VCU Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development
Professor Daryl Fraser, VCU School of Social Work professor and licensed clinical social worker
Triston Harris, Black Lives Matters organizer and organizer of the 5,000 Man March Against Racism
Birdie Hairston Jamison, former district court judge for the 13th Judicial District in Virginia
Councilman Mike Jones
Shanel Lewis, Youth Violence Prevention Specialist at the Richmond City Health District
Brandon Lovee, Richmond artist and advocate, member of the Richmond Peace Team
Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth Attorney
Reverend Dontae McCutchen, Love Cathedral Community Church
Dr. Lisa Moon, Associate Provost at VUU and former Director of the Center for the Study of the Urban Child
Sergeant Brad Nixon, RPD
Tracy Paner, Public Defender for the City of Richmond
Bill Pantele, Richmond attorney and former City Council Member
Professor William Pelfrey, VCU professor with expertise in emergency preparedness and policing
Councilwoman Ellen Robertson
Rodney Robinson, National Teacher of the Year and teacher at the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center
Patrice Shelton, Community Health Worker in Hillside Court and director of the Hillside Court Partnership
Lashawnda Singleton, President of the Richmond Association of Black Social Workers
Sheba Williams, Executive Director of NoLef Turns
Courtney Winston, Richmond trial attorney
 
The Mayor’s Office is specifically working with the Office of Community Wealth Building’s Community Ambassadors to identify additional community members, including youth, to be part of the task force’s important work and to assist with community engagement.
 
The task force is committed to a transparent process and will make meeting minutes available to the public.

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Today, Mayor Levar Stoney, using his emergency powers, ordered the immediate removal of multiple monuments in the city, including Confederate statues.
 
The mayor presented two reasons for this action to city council. First, that failing to remove the statues presents a severe, immediate and growing threat to public safety.
 
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, and protestors attempt to take down Confederate statues themselves, or confront others who are doing so, the risk grows for serious illness, injury, or death,” noted the mayor. “We have an urgent need to protect the public.”
 
Second, the mayor asserted that immediate removal will expedite the healing process for the city, a former capital of the Confederacy constantly grappling with that legacy.
 
In March of 2020, the General Assembly passed an amendment empowering localities like Richmond to remove monuments to the Lost Cause. The law took effect today, July 1, at 12 AM, allowing Richmond to enter into a 60-day administrative process during which the city will solicit public input while determining the fate of the statues. Any removed statues will be placed in temporary storage while that process takes place.

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On Monday, June 22, Richmond City Council passed a series of amendments to the city’s Zoning Ordinance that creates a set of regulations on short-term rental (STR) properties, which are usually advertised on apps like Airbnb. Those changes go into effect Wednesday, July 1. 
 
Before this ordinance passed, short-term rentals were not a permitted use in the City of Richmond’s Zoning Ordinance. Therefore, rental units offered for a period of fewer than 30 consecutive days were effectively prohibited. However, a March 2018 study revealed that 749 unique short-term rental units were active within city lines. 
 
The city recognized a need to formalize its stance on short-term rentals, working with Richmond Regional Tourism and PlanRVA to identify best practices and discuss the various approaches pursued by neighboring counties and cities. The city’s work group studied 14 localities, all of which were either located in Virginia or similar in size to Richmond, who had already implemented short-term rental regulations. 
 
“This is a great example of how city policies can make Richmond more competitive,” said Mayor Stoney. “I’m all about tourism and economic empowerment, letting Richmonders leverage their assets to strengthen our city’s economy. However, other cities have seen unfettered short-term rentals lead to speculative markets. Bottom line: the health of our city’s housing market must be protected. The Department of Planning and Development Review and Planning Commission have done a great job ensuring we have a responsible regulatory framework in place.”
 
For a two-month period in 2019, staff of the Planning and Development Review conducted an aggressive public input campaign, soliciting opinions via print and online surveys, emails and phone calls. The city’s team attended councilmembers’ meetings in all nine council districts and hosted two informational meetings exclusively focused on short-term rental regulations.
 
“Throughout the community engagement process, we have heard from both short-term rental operators and other residents who had concerns about STRs,” explained Mark Olinger, director of the Department of Planning and Development Review. “With these regulations, we hope to strike a balance by allowing homeowners to rent their properties to supplement their incomes while limiting the effects to the character of residential neighborhoods and the housing supply.”
 
The finalized regulations emulate best practices from around the Commonwealth, allowing short-term rental units to operate as an accessory use to dwelling units with conditions to ensure the health and safety of the renters and minimize any negative effect on the permanent residents of the neighborhood.
 
In order to operate a short-term rental, the rental unit must be the operator’s primary residence, meaning the operator must reside there at least 185 days a year. This protects the housing market from the speculative use of private residences as effective hotels and is present in the regulations of counties such as Henrico and Arlington. The number of nights a year each short-term rental can operate is currently unlimited.
 
The Planning Commission offered an amendment to the administration’s original ordinance. The amendment, recommended by the Planning and Development Review staff, requires the Department of Planning and Development Review to provide a report on the implementation of the ordinance in the summer of 2021.
 
Said Olinger of the amendment: “We appreciate the opportunity to review the implementation of the ordinance in a year to determine what amendments may need to be made to the regulations.”
 
For more information on short term rentals in the City of Richmond, click here. 
 
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Mayor Stoney announced today that he is appointing Deputy Chief Gerald Smith of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Police Department as the new chief of the Richmond Police Department. 
 
Smith will assume the position on July 1.
 
“Deputy Chief Gerald Smith is who Richmond needs right now – a reform-minded leader with deep experience in community policing and de-escalation,” said Mayor Stoney.
 
Smith currently serves as the Executive Officer of Investigative Services in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. In that position, he commands criminal investigations including domestic violence, crimes against children, sexual assault and homicide. 
 
He has been with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department since 1991, rising in the ranks from community police officer to deputy chief.
 
Current Interim Chief William “Jody” Blackwell has asked to return to his former position of major. He will continue serving as interim chief until July 1.
 
“I am grateful for Interim Chief Blackwell’s continued service to the Richmond Police Department,” said Mayor Stoney. “Since the departure of former Chief William Smith, we have been searching for a permanent chief. I’m excited for Gerald Smith, a proven change-agent, to serve Richmond in that capacity.”
 
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