RISC Partnership
About RISC - Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities - is a faith-based grassroots organization made up of about 600 members across 27 faith communities seeking justice throughout Greater Richmond. We use the power of large numbers of organized people and a systems change approach to address critical community problems. RISC is currently seeking more funding for affordable housing and healthy mobile homes, as well as the implementation of an evidence-based gun-violence prevention program.
First UU is one of the largest RISC congregations, and we have won several awards for the strength of our participation. Our justice ministry network, made up of about 50 First UUers plus some friends, consistently shows up to demonstrate our commitment to improving local conditions that contribute to significant struggles for many Richmonders.
On Tuesday, March 25th, our congregation will join with the 26 other congregations from across Richmond for the RISC Nehemiah Action. We will powerfully call upon Mayor Avula and City Councilmembers to appropriately increase funding to effectively address the suffering of so many in our region impacted by gun violence, lack of affordable housing and/ or unhealthy homes. RISC plans to turn out 2,025 people to the Nehemiah ACTION, our congregation’s goal being 225 attendees. Our turnout volume will show our public officials how important these issues are to all of us! If you would like more information about RISC and/or to be added to the mailing list for this event, please click here and we will respond to your request. Please consider joining us to represent First UU at one of the largest social justice events of the year!
RISC Nehemiah Action
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
6:30 p.m.
St. Paul’s Baptist Church
4247 Creighton Road
Richmond, VA
What is RISC currently working on?
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Richmond has been in an affordable housing crisis for year, and it is getting worse. In 2014, RISC got the city to start putting money into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. However, not enough money was put in, and the majority of the funds have not been directed toward building truly affordable housing.
In 2021, we won passage of an ordinance that established a dedicated stream of funding for the Trust Fund, that is projected to grow to an annual allocation of $17 million by 2033. However, the city administration refused to follow this Ordinance – instead borrowing money through bond revenue to fund affordable housing. While we did work to ensure that this money ($20 million) was allocated to the Trust Fund, the fact that it is borrowed
money means it will cost taxpayers $35 million in debt service over the next 20 years. Furthermore, the Trust Fund dollars are not being used in a way that addresses the most need. This past Spring, only 13% of the dollars went toward units for households earning $30,000 and below – despite the fact that this group of people represents 80% of those who are spending more than half of their monthly income on housing.
This year, we are calling on our new Mayor to commit to fund the Trust Fund with non-borrowed revenue by following the ordinance, as well as to use at least half of the funds for families earning $30,000 and below.
GUN VIOLENCE
Since June of 2020, we have been calling upon Mayor Stoney to bring a proven gun violence intervention program called Group Violence Intervention (GVI) to our city. GVI has been implemented in dozens of cities across the country, and has been proven to cut homicides in half or more.
Mayor Stoney refused to implement GVI. In the summer of 2022, one of our allies – REAL Life – received state and federal funding to implement GVI – simply needing the cooperation of the city to move forward with an implementation. Mayor Stoney remained steadfast in his refusal, despite the fact that it would have cost the city nothing. REAL Life moved on to Hopewell, where GVI was started in June of 2023 and is seeing remarkable results.
We have waited long enough. This year, we are calling upon our new Mayor to implement GVI in 2025.
HEALTHY HOMES
1,000 families across Richmond are living in mobile homes that are in terrible states of disrepair. These families are enduring extreme heat in the summer, and extreme cold in the winter. Water leaking into these homes is also common, causing mold and causing walls, floors and roofs to deteriorate.
In 2022, we identified a mobile home repair and replacement program as our solution. Over the three years that followed, a total of $1.6 million was allocated, which will repair a total of 100 homes. While this is good, we are calling upon our new Mayor – Danny Avula - to create a plan to address this problem for good, in 2025.