This week the Stoney administration announced the city and state have collaborated to roughly 40 thousand units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to underserved neighborhoods in Richmond.
 
At the outset of the pandemic, the Office of Mayor Levar Stoney reached out to the state concerned about the evident racial disparities in the infection and mortality rates associated with COVID-19.
 
In response, the state has obtained 20 thousand face masks, 20 thousand bottles of hand sanitizers, and 10 thousand printed public health resources for the city to distribute in its communities most vulnerable to the disease.
 
The program aims to increase equitable access to PPE to communities that may be most adversely impacted by COVID-19 in an effort to safeguard them against the virus. Data shows that people of color are dying from COVID-19 at disproportionate rates and that immigrant and undocumented populations are also suffering disparately. 
 
“COVID-19 isn’t singular in its disproportionate effect on communities of color with high poverty rates,” said Mayor Stoney. “The healthcare disparities highlighted by this pandemic are a manifestation of historic injustices, which we can help address with targeted, equity-driven efforts like this program.”
 
“Virginia is ensuring equitable access to healthcare resources and comprehensive support to our most vulnerable communities,” said Governor Northam. “We will continue to encourage and enhance these efforts as we move through the various phases of re-opening Virginia.”
 
Distributed by the Richmond Fire Department in collaboration with community members, the hand sanitizer and masks will help reduce the spread of the virus in communities that would have otherwise lacked access to the in-demand items. 
 
“The Richmond Fire Department believes in providing the best possible health outcomes for communities in need,” said Chief Melvin Carter of the Richmond Fire Department. “Our goal is to improve community health during and after this pandemic, which starts with engaging the communities that need it most. In the upcoming months, distribution of supplies will continue across the city for targeted areas of need.”
 
The distribution plan is based on exhibited need. The state has provided the city with health equity data by Census tract to facilitate the city’s distribution effort.
 
Additionally, the state has provided health equity training to Richmond Fire employees.
 
Program administrators are also identifying need through engaging with neighborhood and community leaders and amplifying the efforts of groups already distributing personal protective equipment on a smaller scale.
 
“We will continue to work in collaboration with individuals and groups within the community to ensure we reach, to the greatest extent possible, the populations in Richmond who don’t have everyday access to these potentially life-saving resources,” said Osita Iroegbu, Senior Policy Advisor to Mayor Stoney. “We hope to strengthen this pilot in ways that will deepen engagement with the community and build greater opportunities for access and equity for our community members who too often go overlooked and underserved.”
 
By inviting trusted community voices into the conversation, the city aims to ensure an inclusive, collaborative community engagement approach to this health equity effort.
 
Questions about the program and distribution plan should be directed to Osita Iroegbu at osita.iroegbu@richmondgov.com.

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“This budget is not the budget we first proposed, nor is it the budget we wanted, but it’s the budget we have to live with in light of these most difficult and challenging times. Amid the uncertainty of this pandemic, we must be prepared to make adjustments as we go, and we fully expect to do so in the coming months.
 
“To that end, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to the members of City Council and their staff for all their hard work, cooperation and collaboration with my team, as well as for their commitment, going forward, to meeting the needs of our residents and advance the city’s priorities in a manner that is fiscally prudent and equitable.”

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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/