Check out our
website to take a closer look at what we have been working on and to stay abreast of what we have in the pipeline!
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Staff from the Office of Community Wealth Building will be on hand at the following events to present an update on the City's poverty reduction strategy:
Councilwoman Ellen Robertston (6th District) Community Meeting
When:Tuesday, April 14
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Where: Hotchkiss Community Center
701 E Brookland Park Boulevard
Councilwoman Reva Trammell (8th District) Community Meeting
When: Thursday, April 16
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Satellite Restaurant & Lounge
4000 Jefferson Davis Highway
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Would you or your or organization like to host a Chat n Chew with the staff of the Office of Community Wealth Building?
Chat n Chews are informal discussions around issues related to Community Wealth Building in the city of Richmond. Staff from the Office of Community Wealth Building will present information about the work we are doing and engage in a dialogue with attendees about ways to catalyze that work going forward.
If interested send an email to
Christina Mastroianni
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STAY CONNECTED!
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CONNECTING STUDENTS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER
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Exploring the possibility of a Promise Scholarship program for Richmond was one of the major recommendations of the Mayor's Anti-Poverty Commission. The goal of Promise Scholarship programs are to provide a city's high school graduates with the financial means and nonfinancial support to enroll in college or a quality training program. Mayor Jones's proposed FY16 budget includes a $425,000 investment in the launch of a Promise Scholarship program, to be called RVA Future, in conjunction with the RPS Education Foundation and in partnership with Richmond Public Schools. The initial investment will be used primarily towards the creation of "Future Centers" in Richmond high schools.
Future Centers will be dedicated spaces within City high schools staffed by at least one full-time professional as well as networks of volunteers. Future Center staff will meet with every high school student every year, starting in ninth grade, to plan for life after high school and develop plans for achieving students' goals. Juniors and seniors interested in pursuing college will be provided more intensive guidance and support throughout the application and financial aid process. Future Centers will also provide support and information to students interested in technical school and related career paths.
In addition, the Future Centers will serve as a coordinating hub to link students to existing scholarship programs and college advising resources.
This initial investment in the Mayor's proposed budget will also allow fundraising to begin for a scholarship program intended to benefit all RPS high school graduates.
The Office of Community Wealth Building is working closely with Richmond Public Schools and the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation on development of the RVA Future program.
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WELCOMING OUR NEW HOUSING ADVOCATES
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| Back Row: Kelly Evans (Supervisor), Ebony Neblett (Whitcomb), Charlene Riley (Gilpin), Gwen Harris (Creighton) Front Row: Chelsea Roane (Mosby), Keandra Holloway (Fairfield) |
This month we offer a warm welcome to our five new Housing Advocates, who along with supervisor Kelly Evans, make up the Housing Advocate Team.
The Office of Community Wealth Building collaborated with the Richmond City Health District in the implementation of this program. Housing Advocates will operate in each of the major RRHA communities (Creighton Court, Fairfield Court, Gilpin Court, Hillside Court, Mosby Court, and Whitcomb Court). Each of the Advocates is a current or recent RRHA resident. Housing Advocates will work directly with residents to provide education on lease compliance issues, provide information on guidelines, resources, and opportunities relevant to RRHA residents, and encourage positive community engagement among residents. The Advocates are working in tandem with the existing Community Advocates in the Resource Centers located in RRHA communities. They also will work in collaboration with RRHA Resident Service Coordinators to assure residents have access to needed information and resources.
The entire program is called the Good Neighbors Initiative. The long-term aim of the initiative, in addition to helping neighbors address immediate issues constructively, is to promote the engagement and empowerment of public housing residents. We are excited that this initiative has launched and look forward to working with Kelly and her team.
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The Jones Administration has made it a top priority that "all citizens benefit from a resurgent Richmond through strategies to mitigate poverty and its social economic and long-term implications on our citizenry and this City." (Mayor's Message to City Council, March 13, 2015). To that end, the FY16 proposed budget for the Office of Community Wealth Building includes substantial investments in Education, Housing, and Workforce Development, totaling approximately $3.6 million. These budget items are part of an integrated plan to address the systemic dimensions of concentrated poverty and to create and expand pathways out of poverty for City residents.
In addition, the budget calls for an expanded and enhanced MetroCare program, originally designed to assist low-income households with gas utility bills. The program now also includes assistance with water bills and water conservation.
| FOCUS AREA |
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FY16 PROPOSED FUNDING |
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| EDUCATION |
| Family Based Workforce Development Initiative (BLISS) |
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142,150 |
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| Early Childhood Educational Programming |
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72,850 |
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| Middle School Renaissance 2020 |
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350,000 |
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| RVA Future |
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425,000 |
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| Communities in Schools |
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428,389 |
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| HOUSING |
| Affordable Housing Trust Fund |
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975.000 |
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| Good Neighbors Initiative |
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200,000 |
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| EMPLOYMENT/WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT |
| Center for Workforce Innovation |
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436,000 |
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| Retail/Business Attraction |
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100,000 |
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| Social Enterprise |
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100,000 |
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| ADMINISTRATION |
| Community Wealth Building Team |
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310,456 |
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| Maggie L. Walker Citizens Advisory Board/Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board |
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50,000 |
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| WATER AFFORDABILITY |
| MetroCare Water Assistance Program |
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156,390 |
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| MetroCare Water Conservation Program |
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269,417 |
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In December of last year, City Council ratified the creation of the Maggie L. Walker Initiative Citizens Advisory Board, a new 14-member formal body charged with monitoring and evaluating the City's anti-poverty and community wealth building initiatives. By ordinance, at least eight of the members must live in high poverty communities and two must be public housing residents.
The following board members have been appointed:
Heidi Abbott Chanel Bea Kamala Benjamin Domingo Caratachea Lillie Estes Dr. Elsie Harper-Anderson Pauline Hymes Penny McPherson Reverend Bo Millner Patrice Shelton Albert Walker Reverend Dwayne E. Whitehead
The first meeting of the Citizens Advisory Board was Thursday, March 26.
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