Richmond mayor, council members commit to interfaith group’s affordable housing, violence reduction objectives

The faith group said the violence reduction program is malleable based on the needs of each community that works with the organization. Stoney, however, said he has heard concerns from officials and activists about heavy handed tactics and excessive surveillance in other cities that adopted the program. “I have worries about the drawbacks,” he said.

The Rev. Ralph Hodge, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Richmond, said the group was disappointed with the mayor after officials noted that homicides in the city have been increasing in recent years.

There have been 31 homicides this year as of Sunday, according to Richmond police. That’s eight fewer deaths than at the same point last year, but a recent uptick in shootings and the young age of several victims in recent years has raised concerns.

In May 2019, nine-year-old Markiya Dickson died after she was shot during a Memorial Day cookout in South Richmond’s Carter Jones Park. Earlier this month, police said a two-year-old was wounded after a shooting in Whitcomb Court in the city’s East End.

Despite the disagreement over policing reform, an idea the city is already considering as nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice continue, Stoney and the council members said they would work with RISC to address housing insecurity.

In January, the Partnership for Housing Affordability determined the region would need to build 1,000 new affordable homes annually to meet demand by 2040. Only a quarter of that has risen annually over the past five years, according to a report the group released earlier this year.

Since July 1, 2014, the city has allocated $4.9 million from its affordable housing fund to developers and community organizations to aid housing efforts and related community services. The top priority of the fund is to assist people with sustainable, affordable housing who are elderly, disabled, homeless or survivors of domestic abuse.

But members of RISC and other activists said the aid has been insufficient for households making the least amount of money.

“The trust fund has been underfunded and not strategically targeted toward those most in need,” the group said last week.

Housing advocates with RISC noted that a report from Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia earlier this year indicated a need for 25,000 more affordable housing units for households making less than 30% of the area median income — which is equivalent to $26,800 for a four-person household, according to the state’s housing authority.

In addition to setting aside more money for the fund, the clergy group also asked city officials to commit half of the fund’s dollars to help build homes for households below the 30% threshold.

“We don’t care how it gets done, we want it to be created,” Hodge said.

Source: Richmond.com