The Task Force to Reimagine Public Safety today publicized its final recommendations to the Stoney administration.
 
Click here to read the report.
 
The final recommendations come after the task force met twice monthly for three months. The task force’s three subgroups met weekly throughout that time.
 
Statement from Mayor Stoney:
 
“I’m mindful and appreciative of the emphasis the task force placed on equity and restorative justice throughout the process. The report is firmly rooted both in those shared values and an acknowledgement of the difficulty of changemaking on a large, permanent scale. 

“My administration is committed to starting the necessary work to turn these recommendations into the policies, procedures and practices required to make this a safer city for each and every resident.
 
“Building the long-term, innovative, equitable public safety infrastructure envisioned in this report will take sustained effort, community engagement and education, but I have full faith that this community will come to the table to realize this vision.”
 
Statement from Chief of Police Gerald Smith:
 
“Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, do better.” And that’s what Richmond Police wants to be for the residents of Richmond. We want to be better.
 
“Our recent Advanced GOLD Standard Reaccreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies proves Richmond Police is very good when it comes to consistent policies and management practices and provides accountability through checks and balances on all levels of the agency. However, the input of the task force, the voice of the community, is vital to ensure that our work is implemented in the way our community needs and expects.
 
“We look forward to thoroughly evaluating these recommendations to enhance current practices and reimagine public safety with the community.”
 
Statement from DCAO for Human Services Reggie Gordon:
 
“Over the past several months, I have heard many community members, and members of RPD, state that the best solutions for a way forward require an expansion of the role of human services in public safety. This report aligns with that perspective. I look forward to putting these ideas into action.”

##

The City of Richmond is joining a growing nationwide effort to foster economic security among working families.
 
Today, Mayor Stoney announced that the city, in partnership with Robins Foundation, has launched the Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), a guaranteed income pilot program. Under the program, 18 working families who no longer qualify for benefits assistance but still do not make a living wage will receive $500 a month for 24 months.
 
The program is part of a larger national movement to foster economic security in a data-driven, research-tested capacity, and is modeled after successful pilots in cities like Stockton, California. Mayor Stoney recently joined Mayors for Guaranteed Income, a coalition of more than 25 mayors committed to piloting universal income programs to promote economic empowerment.
 
“The Richmond Resilience Initiative pilot will go far in both supporting hardworking families and providing the necessary data points to design policies that promote sustainable economic security and mobility,” said the mayor.
 
“The pandemic has proven that for many families, $500 can be the difference between staying sheltered or losing your home, buying groceries or going hungry, and that degree of vulnerability is unacceptable.”
 
Even before the pandemic, the Federal Reserve found that 40% of American families cannot afford a $400 emergency. As a result of the pandemic, even more families are at risk of financial insecurity.
 
Guaranteed income payments are meant to supplement the existing safety net – a portfolio of risk-reducing measures designed to protect families from losing financial security or derailing long-term financial goals because of enduring poverty or an unexpected event like a global pandemic, severe recession, or personal tragedy.
 
Research shows that when families receive supplemental assistance, they prioritize spending on what they need most to help ease their already burdened household, like rent, groceries, transportation, and childcare. Further, existing research on direct cash assistance shows positive impacts on health and education outcomes, and negligible effects on the labor market.
 
“More than just a pilot program, this plan is a first step toward state and national policy that will help qualified, working families in need to close the gap between the social safety net and sustainable employment,” said the mayor.
 
The pilot begins by supporting these 18 families, but the effects could be expansive. Supplemental assistance has a demonstrated multiplier effect, especially when investments are made in women, who traditionally serve the community as caregivers and resource-sharers.
 
Funding and partners:
 
Funding for the program is made possible by Robins Foundation and federal CARES Act dollars. This pilot program joins eviction diversion, rent relief, and the Family Crisis Fund, launched in April 2020 by Robins Foundation in partnership with the city, as another crucial element of the city’s pandemic response. More than 2,600 families throughout the region were supported by one-time cash assistance through the Family Crisis Fund.
 
Program research, implementation and evaluation partners include the Federal Reserve Banks of Atlanta and Richmond, Mayors for Guaranteed Income (MGI), Family Independence Initiative, and the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice.
 
Participant selection:
 
The pilot cohort is comprised of clientele of the Office of Community Wealth Building (OCWB), the workforce development and economic mobility agency created at the recommendation of the 2011 Richmond Anti-poverty Commission. Participants were randomly selected from a group of OCWB clients that have children, are employed and continue working hard to advance their careers but have lost all public benefits despite not yet earning a living wage.
 
Overwhelmingly, these heads of household no longer qualify for government support because of a phenomenon referred to as the “cliff effect,” when working individuals make too much money to qualify for benefits but not enough to support their family and attain sustainable economic mobility, falling into a chasm of economic vulnerability.
 
Says OCWB Director Valaryee Mitchell, “The cliff effect not only disincentivizes economic empowerment, but it cements the intergenerational symptoms of poverty. Supplemental assistance helps these families stay resilient on their path to economic security.”
 
Statements from key partners:
 
Robins Foundation
 
“This program is a fresh approach to addressing a complex problem, and it reflects our commitment to advance the greater Richmond Community and work to create an environment in which everyone has an opportunity to thrive.
 
“Poverty and positive community outcomes like education achievement are interconnected, so to improve education opportunities, we must break the cycles of intergenerational poverty vexing our region. Challenges like that cannot be addressed with programmatic support alone. With partnerships like this one and the potential expansive impact of this initiative, we can go beyond providing programmatic support to updating state and national policy that will help the families in our community achieve the results they need.
 
“We encourage our peers to join us in exploring this transformational response. By leveraging the best of what our partners and peers can contribute to supporting and expanding this program, we predict the implications of its impact could be significant.”
 
Mayors for Guaranteed Income
 
“It is no surprise that Mayor Stoney brings such forward-thinking leadership to a challenge he’s identified in his community. Guaranteed income is the most direct way to address gaps left by conditional benefits systems, and the design of this program demonstrates how well he knows and serves his constituents who would otherwise be slipping through the cracks of an insufficient social safety net,” said Mayor of Stockton and founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Michael Tubbs.
 
"No matter the state of the nation, mayors are uniquely suited to meet the moment and help our friends and neighbors who are struggling with real action. As we’ve seen in Stockton, we know that guaranteed income can make all the difference for individuals who are not treated with dignity by an economy that isn’t built to work for everyone. The Richmond program and the pilots that follow will surely reinforce the impact we know an income floor can have for people’s overall well-being and quality of life."
 
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Atlanta Fed)
 
“The Atlanta Fed is pleased to partner with the City of Richmond and Robins Foundation on the Richmond Guaranteed Income Pilot. The Atlanta Fed, in collaboration with the Richmond Fed, will use its Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) to evaluate how the guaranteed income pilot interacts with the social safety net, reduces barriers to career investment, and supports families on their career path to economic security.
 
“The Atlanta Fed partners with organizations to conduct research on benefits cliffs and develop tools to support community and state efforts to improve economic security for families. As part of this effort, the Atlanta Fed developed CLIFF. CLIFF is an analytic tool designed to aid workforce and human services professionals, employers, nonprofits and policymakers working to mitigate benefits cliffs and support families through changes in practice, policy, systems and alignment.”
 
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (Richmond Fed)
 
“The Richmond Fed seeks to provide resources to partners in our District, through our community development outreach and our research, that address barriers to economic mobility, one of which is CLIFF, developed by the Atlanta Fed. The Richmond Fed looks forward to supporting our partners’ use of these tools as we seek to better understand barriers to economic mobility and career advancement in our District and how policies and practices like the Guaranteed Income Pilot might help address these issues.”
 
Family Independence Initiative

“After working with thousands of families for nearly 20 years, Family Independence Initiative (FII) is certain that people don’t live in poverty because they are lazy, uneducated or mismanage money as stereotypes would indicate,” said Kofi Kenyatta, director of policy and practice for Family Independence Initiative. “Our approach views low-income individuals and families from a position of strength, recognizing that they have the capacity and insight needed to make decisions for themselves. We are pleased to be in partnership with stakeholders from across the Richmond region to trust and invest in the people of Greater Richmond.”
 
Center for Guaranteed Income Research
 
“The Center for Guaranteed Income Research is the leading applied research institution that studies the impacts of guaranteed income and unconditional cash transfers across the US. We are pleased to partner with the City of Richmond, as they launch one of the first pilots affiliated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income. In partnership with city leadership, we look forward to implementing rigorous mixed-methods research that will help the city and nation understand the impacts of guaranteed income on physical and mental health, financial security, housing stability, family dynamics and parenting, transportation access, and agency over one's future.”
##

The City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) will unveil a new content initiative, “Portraits of Immigrant Voices,” onRVAStrong to honor National immigrants’ Day on Wednesday, October 28.

OMA will publish three portraits the first day and will continue to publish one portrait every weekday through Thanksgiving. Click here for the online gallery of available portraits, which will be updated daily.

Artist Alfonso Pérez painted each portrait and writer Joe Kutchera interviewed the subjects and wrote the life story that accompanies each portrait. Virginia Humanities and the City of Richmond’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) have funded the project.

“We are excited to launch this art and storytelling initiative to tell the stories of 24 immigrants who have come to Richmond from around the world,” says Karla Almendarez-Ramos, the manager of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. “Not only do these stories exemplify the diversity of immigrant experiences in our city, but they humanize OMA’s mission: to create equitable opportunities for all residents across the City of Richmond by overcoming cultural and language barriers.”

“There’s no one story of Richmond, and that’s what makes our city vibrant,” said Mayor Stoney. “I’m so proud of the work of OMA and grateful we’ve been able to partner with such talented local creatives to give all of us a more complete understanding of the experiences of our neighbors.”

National Immigrants’ Day has been celebrated since 1986, mostly in larger metropolises like New York City. OMA brings this celebration to the City of Richmond to highlight the city’s cultural diversity and the variety of languages spoken. The stories shed light on the challenges of migration and displacement as well as the commonalities of learning to speak English and acculturating to America.

About the Artist and Author:

Alfonso Pérez Acosta is a Colombian artist and muralist who serves as the art program director at Sacred Heart Center as well as the co-director of the ARCA project (Art, Reconciliation and Civic Advocacy) with RVA Thrives, bridging African American and Latin American youth through public art.

Joe Kutchera is a writer, bilingual digital content advisor and the author of three books. He has lived in Richmond, VA since 2013 with his wife, who is from Mexico.

“Every person I have interviewed is grateful to call the peaceful city of Richmond, Virginia home,” says Kutchera. “Our subjects truly appreciate America’s freedom, democracy and the way their neighbors have accepted them. They have changed how I see our own city and country. And so, the overall theme of gratitude has become clear, which is why we decided to extend the exhibit through Thanksgiving.”

Exhibit details:

The virtual exhibit of “Portraits of Immigrant Voices” will appear at RVAStrong.org/portraits, on the Office of Multicultural Affairs Facebook page as well as on Alfonso Pérez’s Instagram page, A Drawing Table and JoeKutchera.com.

The in-person exhibit will take place at Studio Two Three in Scott’s Addition (3300 W. Clay Street Richmond, VA 23230) in its large picture windows from November 23 through December 7. Richmonders can walk or drive by to see the portraits during this time of social distancing. Studio Two Three will also project Alfonso Pérez’s paintings after dark on the studio’s building for the opening of the exhibit on November 23.

##

Today, in front of George Wythe High School, Mayor Stoney announced that the Southside high school will be the next major school facility project to benefit Richmond’s students.
 
The Dreams4RPS Strategic Plan, supported by the School Board and funded in full by the Stoney administration, identified Wythe as the next facility in need of reinvention and rebuilding after the three new schools the administration unveiled this summer: Cardinal Elementary, Henry Marsh Elementary and River City Middle.
 
With the commitment, the School Board has the responsibility to lead a rigorous community engagement process to ensure plans for the school reflect the values and priorities of the community.
 
“Just this summer, we’ve proven this is possible when we put aside the self and focus on the community,” said Mayor Stoney of the school redesign process. “Together, we’ll build a high school that reflects the potential, innovation and spirit of the students inside.”
 
Mayor Stoney was joined by Councilmember Stephanie Lynch, School Board Chair Linda Owen, School Board Vice Chair Cheryl Burke and former School Board Chair Dawn Page, as well as members of the George Wythe and Richmond Public Schools Administration.
 
George Wythe High School opened its doors on Midlothian Turnpike in 1960. With the exception of one renovation in the early 1980s, the building has not undergone improvement since.
 
Wythe serves 1300 students. In the words of the mayor, “Wythe is the space where these students will spend four of the most formative, consequential years of their lives. These years that are so impactful on their futures shouldn’t be spent in a building stuck in the past.”

##

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:

1. $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. 
2. $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 decreasing racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. 
3. $150,000, Gun Violence Prevention Framework, partnering with Richmond City Health District. These funds will support the development of a hybrid gun violence prevention model based on national best practices and community input. With this funding, the model will be finalized in early 2021. 

“The pandemic has highlighted a troubling network of health disparities that threaten quality of life for many Richmonders,” said the mayor. “With these three proposed allocations, Richmond City Council has the opportunity to support our effort to address these disparities, building a healthier city for all.”

The Richmond City Council will discuss the potential allocations at the informal meeting on Monday, October 12. The council will have the opportunity to reach consensus on using surplus funds to support these three innovative and detailed public health efforts.

Mayor Stoney indicated on September 15, 2020 that he would propose special purpose reserves be allocated in part to address health disparities in the city. All three of the above projects aim to allocate more resources to historically underserved communities.

For more details on the three efforts this allocation would fund, click here.

##