In summary, on April 27, Richmond City Council will hold a Public Hearing on the Budget on April 27. RISC is insisting the budget include money for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. RISC is calling on it’s church members (of which SECC is one) to email or call the mayor and city council members before the hearing. The next step is for members to attend the hearing virtually.

Before COVID-19, we had a crisis in Richmond when it comes to lack of affordable housing and evictions. Now, we have an emergency. Thousands of our neighbors are feeling the effects of the pandemic financially, and they are being added to the ranks of those who cannot find an affordable place to call home, and the ranks of those who will have an eviction filed against them. Evictions filings were around 1,500 per month in Richmond prior to the pandemic. Our projections show that eviction filings will increase to at least 2,000 per month, by late Summer / early Fall.

Below are instructions for logging into the hearing using the free app, Zoom, examples of emails or letters that you can send to the mayor and your city council member, contact numbers for government officials.

What are we asking RISC members to do before April 27?
Members are encouraged to send emails to the Mayor and ALL of the Councilmembers, but at a minimum are asked to at least send 2 e-mails – one to the Mayor, and one to the City Council member in whose district they reside and/or work, or the City Council member in whose district their congregation is.

  1. E-mail the Mayor and 9 Council members. See sample e-mail below.
  2. Call the Mayor and 9 City Council members. See sample phone call below. Don’t forget this step! E-mails are easy to ignore; phone calls are more direct.
  3. Spread the word!

Sample phone call or voicemail message:
Hello, my name is __________________, and I am a member of RISC. (If applicable – include where you worship / reside). Because we have an affordable housing crisis in our city, and because evictions are forecast to explode as a result of the pandemic, we are asking you to support an allocation of at least $686,000 to the Eviction Diversion Program, and at least $2.9 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. We are also asking you to staff the Department of Housing and Community Development for purposes of administering the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. I look forward to viewing the Public Hearing on the Budget this coming Monday, and I look forward to your support on this grave matter.

Sample email:
Dear ______________________
My name is __________________, and I am a member of RISC. I live in _____________ and I worship at _____________. I will be watching the Public Hearing on the Budget this coming Monday, via livestream. We have an affordable housing crisis in our city, and evictions are forecast to explode as a result of the pandemic. Our neighbors are suffering in horrendous ways. We are asking you to –

  • Allocate $2.9 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (as is currently being proposed). In addition – pass a resolution saying that as an additional .6 million becomes available in 2021, such funds will be allocated to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (as was originally proposed).
  • Allocate what was originally proposed for the Eviction Diversion Program ($686,000)
  • Staff the Department of Housing & Community Development – for purposes of administering the Affordable Housing Trust Fund

I look forward to your support on this matter.Sincerely,

How to “attend” the Public Hearing using Zoom

1. Log in to our RISC pre-meeting (via Zoom) on Monday April 27th at 5 pm.

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95232198562?pwd=cVVwa3F2RUxjUUNYZGJ4UzZMK0dPdz09
When prompted, enter Meeting ID: 952 3219 8562 and the Password: 404428
If you cannot join by video, but are able to call in, call +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
When prompted, enter Meeting ID: 952 3219 8562 and the Password: 404428

2. At 6 pm, we will give instructions for being able to see and hear the meeting. You will be instructed to send the following email so the Mayor and council members know you are attending the hearing.

My name is __________________________. I am a RISC member, and I am watching (or, listening to) the Public Hearing

3. RISC will host the video livestream of the Public Hearing on the Zoom meeting that you logged into. We will begin “showing” the video livestream of the Public Hearing on our Zoom meeting promptly at 6 pm. You will receive instructions on action steps. You can call into the city’s conference call link and listen to the public hearing on the phone. Dial 67-804-316-9457. When prompted, enter the Conference ID – 466089136#

Contact Numbers for City Officials

Mayor Levar Stoney
(804) 646-7970 [email protected]

District 1: Councilman Andreas Addison
(804) 646-5935 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – First Presbyterian, Temple Beth El

District 2: Councilwoman Kim Gray
(804) 646-6532 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – Ebenezer Baptist Church, Grace Covenant Presbyterian, St. John’s United Church of Christ

District 3: Councilman Chris Hilbert
(804) 646-6055 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – Ginter Park Presbyterian, Union Presbyterian Seminary

District 4: Councilwoman Kristen Larson
(804) 646-5646 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – Congregation Or Ami

District 5: Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch
(804) 646-5724 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – First Unitarian Universalist Church

District 6: Councilwoman Ellen Robertson
(804) 646-7964 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – St. Elizabeth Catholic Church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

District 7: Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille
(804) 646-3012 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – East End Fellowship, Fourth Baptist, New Light Baptist

District 8: Councilwoman Reva Trammell
(804) 646-6591 [email protected]

District 9: Councilman Michael Jones
(804) 646-2779 [email protected]
RISC Congregations in District – Second Baptist Church