At a press conference today, Mayor Stoney officially declared Richmond a “City of Compassion.” In doing so, Richmond joins a global movement, the Charter for Compassion, dedicated to leading with compassion through treating all people, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or economic status, with dignity and respect. 
 
“This proclamation is also an invitation,” said the mayor. “Compassion is using your gifts and talents to lift up your neighbor, building a stronger community through that service. We can all play a role in this effort.”
 
The effort was led by Befriend, a new platform that aims to create friendships and connections throughout the city in an effort to recognize and break down socioeconomic barriers between Richmonders. It has been championed by the Mayor’s Office as a vehicle to promote tangible, compassionate action during a challenging time for all.
 
The mayor urged individuals and businesses to sign up to serve as a Compassion Connecter, centering compassion in all acts, big and small. Those interested can do so at www.befriendmovement.org, where they can also learn about the global effort to build compassion.
 
“Being a Compassionate City is much more than a label,” says Mollie Reinhart, Founder of Befriend. “The proclamation creates a unifying standard around how Richmond legislates, how we live, and how we connect and thrive. 
 
Befriend is represented on the Human Services Cabinet. The Human Services Cabinet for the City of Richmond is comprised of the local subject matter experts on basic human needs like food, housing, public health, employment, and education. It also includes experts that serve specific populations like older adults and individuals with highly specialized needs, as well as professionals who specialize in connecting those populations to the services they need.
 
The Human Services Cabinet convened with the intention of unifying the citywide human services response to community needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services and leader of the group Reggie Gordon holds that it will go beyond meeting immediate need resulting from the pandemic.
 
“Though the Human Services Cabinet was launched in the urgent context of the pandemic, it will have ongoing value to the community after the pandemic is behind us,” said Reggie Gordon. “It will continue to find better ways to align resources and collaborative ways to address community problems.”
 
The Human Services Cabinet addresses the need for compassionate efforts throughout the city to connect – both with each other and with those who require services. According to the member of the cabinet, the mayor’s declaring Richmond a Compassionate City is in line with that vision.
 
“In the city, we center compassion through transforming systems to serve individuals who need them, and then empowering those individuals through restorative justice and equity,” said the Mayor. “Everyone can join that effort by practicing compassionate acts.”
 
For more information:
 
For opportunities to support organizations centering on compassion, visit www.RVAStrong.org and navigate to a cause close to your heart.
 
To sign up to become a Compassion Connector, visit www.befriendmovement.org. For ease of access, the Befriend effort will also be linked on the home page of RVAStrong.
 
You can learn more about the global movement at www.CharterforCompassion.org.
 
For more information on the proclamation, becoming a Compassion Connector, or the effort as a whole, contact Mollie Reinhart at mollie@befriendmovement.org.
 
Click here to read the mayor’s proclamation.

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NFL player and proud Richmond native Clelin Ferrell has generously agreed to donate $100,000 to two local relief efforts. 

$50,000 will go to support the Eviction Diversion Program, founded in 2019 by the Stoney administration and managed through local nonprofit Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME). 

The other $50,000 will support Richmond’s Family Crisis Fund, which provides one-time grants to families who have experienced income loss due to COVID-19. The Stoney administration announced last week that the city has matched the Robins Foundation’s original contribution to the fund. Both the city and Mr. Ferrell’s contributions, through a partnership with local nonprofit Enrichmond, will be disbursed directly to Richmond families. 

“Knowing who I am means knowing how much my hometown, Richmond, VA means to me,” said Ferrell. “There’s something special about the people from this city and how we are built. For a long time, we have had one of the highest eviction rates in the country and people are losing their jobs because of the crisis, so I am donating $100,000 to the Family Crisis Fund and the Eviction Diversion Program to help the communities that made me who I am. I love y’all and stay strong, stay safe, and always stay Richmond!”

“Clelin embodies everything I love about Richmond: its strength, its resilience, and its sense of community. His contribution will help hundreds of families, as well as our city as a whole, emerge from this crisis safe and supported,” said Mayor Stoney. 

Estos fondos complementarán los del Programa de Detención de Desalojos, incrementarán la capacidad de alojamiento en los refugios de emergencia, así como también les servirán a aquellas familias que están sin hogar o están a punto de perderlo. 

• $250,000 a Oportunidades de Vivienda Igualitaria de Virginia (Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia) para complementar el Programa de Detención de Desalojos; y 
• $300,000 a la organización Homeward, la cual es parte del Sistema Integrado de Cuidado del Área Metropolitana de Richmond (Greater Richmond Continuum of Care, GRCoC), para brindar refugio y servicios a aquellos que carezcan de hogar durante la pandemia actual. 

• $2 683 549 en Subvenciones en Bloque para el Desarrollo Comunitario (CDBG, por sus iniciales en inglés);
• $1 351 959 en Subvenciones para Soluciones de Emergencia (ESG, por sus iniciales en inglés);
• $194 445 en fondos de Oportunidades de Vivienda para Personas con SIDA (HOPWA, por sus iniciales en inglés); y
• $1 000 000 del Fondo Fiduciario de Vivienda Asequible (AHTF) para soluciones permanentes de ayuda en vivienda.

• Programa de Evitación de Desalojos: Línea de Desalojos, 1 (833) 663-8428
• Organización Homeward y Sistema Integrado de Cuidado del Área Metropolitana de Richmond: Línea de Crisis para Personas sin Hogar, 1 (804) 972-0813
• Fondo de Crisis Familiares de la Oficina de Construcción de Riqueza Comunitaria (OCWB, por sus iniciales en inglés): Llámelos al (804) 646-0145 o escríbales a askoma@richmondgov.com.

• Para el informativo de la organización Homeward, regístrese aquí: http://www.homewardva.org/news/e-newsletter
• Para el informativo de GRCoC, regístrese aquí: http://endhomelessnessrva.org/contact-us 
• Para comunicarse con el listserv de HUD, vaya a https://www.hudexchange.info/mailinglist/

Project will make roads safer near MLK Middle School

Work begins in early May on the Mosby Street – Bike and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project, which includes crosswalks, pavement markings, signage and vertical flexible delineators for the new bike lanes. The work will start once resurfacing is completed. While parking on Mosby Street will be removed to accommodate these improvements, parking will still be available on the adjacent side streets in close proximity to Mosby Street. 

These enhancements will be improve safety for Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School students and residents of Mosby Court apartments. It also will be safer for those who walk in the area by decreasing exposure to traffic and the number of travel lanes to cross. Fewer travel lanes also will result in better speed management, which is critical in a school zone. The reduction in travel lanes will create more multi-modality and more space for bicyclists, as the design provides for separated buffered bike lanes that will increase their comfort level.  

This ‘road diet’ aligns with the city’s Vision Zero initiative to increase road safety and eliminate crashes involving fatalities and serious injuries by 2030.

Construction is expected to be completed in two months, weather permitting. Business and residential access will be permitted at all times. 

The $225,000 project is funded through the city’s Capital Improvement Program. 

Funds will supplement Eviction Diversion Program, increase emergency shelter bed capacity, serve families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity

Under the authority granted by the State of Emergency declared in the Commonwealth of Virginia and in the City of Richmond, Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced that the city will make over $5.8 million in funding available to meet the emergency housing needs of its most vulnerable populations.

“These dollars are vital to address the urgent housing needs within our community, especially for our homeless and housing insecure,” said Mayor Stoney. “However, we must also keep in mind that housing insecurity existed before this pandemic and will still exist after. We must not only implement short-term solutions, but plan for long-term permanent housing solutions as well. That has been and will continue to be the approach taken by my administration and our community partners. Caring for our most vulnerable residents will always remain a high priority.”

The mayor has authorized disbursement for the following purposes:

$250,000 to Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia to supplement the Eviction Diversion Program; and
$300,000 to Homeward, which is part of the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care, to provide shelter and services to those experiencing homelessness during the current pandemic.
In addition, the city will issue a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for $4,229,953 in federal funds made possible by the CARES Act and $1,000,000 in city funds (AHTF):

$2,683,549 in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG);
$1,351,959 in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG);
$194,445 in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) funds; and
$1,000,000 from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund for permanent supportive housing solutions.
The NOFA totaling $5,229,953 in federal and city funds includes three HUD grant programs: CBDG, ESG, and HOPWA as well as the city’s AHTF.

“As the NOFA includes $1 million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, I will be requesting City Council approve that part of the package as a budget amendment. Funds from the AHTF will therefore be awarded once City Council approves the budget amendment,” said Mayor Stoney.

“We’re directing the $1 million from the AHTF and the allocations to Homeward and HOME in order to provide relief for families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Despite the uncertainty around the budget, we are allocating these funds to serve the Richmond families most in need.”

The priority uses for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund monies will be to create new emergency permanent supportive and affordable housing solutions to expand the city’s capacity to provide supportive housing solutions during this pandemic and beyond. 

 For those who need assistance, use the following resources:

Eviction Diversion Program: Eviction Helpline, 1-833-663-8428
Homeward and the Greater Richmond Continuum of Care: Homeless Crisis Line, 1-804-972-0813
Family Crisis Fund (OCWB): Call 804-646-6464 or visit https://www.rvastrong.org/i-need-income-support
To learn more about the effort to aid those experiencing homelessness in Richmond, use these resources:

Homeward newsletter: Sign up here http://www.homewardva.org/news/e-newsletter
GRCoC newsletter: Sign up here http://endhomelessnessrva.org/contact-us
HUD listserv: https://www.hudexchange.info/mailinglist/
 

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