Education and Human Services Standing Committee
Council Chamber, 2nd Floor - City Hall
Agenda — 68 items
- 1 Call to Order
- 1 Committee and Other Council Members In Attendance
- 2 Chamber Emergency Evacuation Plan Announcement and Public Speaker Guidelines
- 2 The Honorable Stephanie Lynch - Chair The Honorable Nicole Jones - Vice Chair The Honorable Andrew Breton - Member
- 3 Public Comment Period
- 3 Staff in Attendance
- 4 Presentation(s)
- 4 Kiley Kesecker, Deputy City Clerk Kimberly Morris, Assistant City Clerk Janet Palmer, Deputy City Attorney William Perkins, Council Senior Legislative Services Manager Candice Reid, City Clerk
- 5 Juvenile Justice and Gun Violence Prevention Efforts
- 6 Department of Justice Services and Office of Gun Violence Prevention
- 6 Chair Stephanie Lynch called the meeting to order at 2:01 p.m., and presided.
- 7 Discussion Item(s)
- 8 Richmond Public Schools Updates ~ Jason Kamras, RPS Superintendent
- 8 Upon the Chair's request, Assistant City Clerk Kimberly Morris provided information on the appropriate way to evacuate the Council Chamber in an emergency along with public speaker guidelines.
- 9 Update from the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) for Human Services
- 10 Paper(s) for Consideration
- 10 There were no public comment speakers.
- 1. To amend Ord. No. 2025-057, adopted May 12, 2025, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 General Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by transferring funds in the amount of $80,000.00 from the Outside Agencies and Central Appropriations agency Venture Richmond, Inc. line item in the Organizational Subsidy category for the Administration and Finance portfolio and to appropriating such transferred funds in the amount of $80,000.00 to the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services for the purpose of funding CARITAS Surge Shelter Operations.
- 2. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to accept funds in the amount of $1,164,547.84 from the National Opioid Settlement Fund, resulting from settlement agreements with Sandoz Group, Kroger, CVS, Allergan, Teva, Walgreens, and Distributor, and to amend Ord. No. 2025-057, adopted May 12, 2025, which adopted the Special Fund Budget for the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 and made appropriations thereto, by increasing the revenues and the amount appropriated to the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services’ National Opioid Settlement Special Fund by $1,164,547.84, for the purpose of funding opioid abatement and remediation strategies to combat the opioid crisis.
- 3. To amend Ord No. 2025-057, adopted May 12, 2025, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Special Fund Budget and made appropriations pursuant thereto, by transferring funds in the amount of $300,000.00 from the National Opioid Settlement Special Fund for the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services and appropriating such transferred funds in the amount of $300,000.00 to the Medication Assisted Treatment Pilot Program Special Fund for the City Sheriff for the purpose of funding the Medication Assisted Treatment Pilot Program.
- 4. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a YMCA of Greater Richmond Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and the Young Men’s Christian Association of Greater Richmond for the purpose of operating low-cost afterschool programming at six elementary schools.
- 14 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 5. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Second Amendment to Grant Contract between the City of Richmond and The Salvation Army for the purpose of extending the term of the contract through June 30, 2027, with the option to exercise three additional one-year term extensions, for the continued operations of an inclement weather shelter and year-round emergency shelter located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue. (3rd District)
- 15 Greg Hopkins, Director of Justice Services/Office of Gun Violence Prevention, presented an overview and highlighted plans to expand community violence intervention, strengthen trauma-informed services, increase youth prevention programs, and use data driven strategies to guide investments.
- 6. To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a First Amendment to Lease Agreement between the City of Richmond, as tenant, and The Salvation Army, as landlord, for the purpose of leasing a portion of the property located at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue for the operation of a resource and training center. (3rd District)
- 16 Committee members praised the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Services for its coordinated, prevention focused approach, and emphasized the importance of data-driven investments and program evaluation. They also discussed strengthening the Trauma Healing Response Network, expanding preventive services in schools and communities, improving access to housing relocation and victim assistance resources, and refining performance metrics to better measure outcomes and guide future funding decisions.
- 17 Board Vacancies
- 18 There were no board vacancies.
- 18 Richmond Public Schools (RPS) Updates
- 19 Approval of Minutes
- 19 There were no updates.
- 20 May 14, 2026 - Education & Human Services Standing Committee Meeting Minutes
- 21 Staff Report
- 21 Amy Popovich, DCAO for Human Services, presented an update on city Human Services programs and addressed the following items:
- 22 Education & Human Services Standing Committee June 11, 2026 Staff Report
- 22 •Upcoming Juneteenth and multicultural events •Summer Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities programs •Expanded access to free meal sites through an interactive online map •Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities' full integration with the city's 311 system, improving tracking and responsiveness to resident requests •The preservation of the Richmond Free Press archives through Richmond Public Libraries •Recognition of Greg Hopkins, Director of Justice Services/Office of Gun Violence Prevention, for presenting Richmond’s gun violence prevention efforts at a national forum in Washington, D.C.
- 23 page break
- 25 The following ordinances were considered:
- 28 Public Hearing
- 29 There were no public hearing speakers.
- 30 Anna Jones, Opioid Response Strategist with the Office of Opioid and Substance Use Response, presented ordinances to accept approximately $1.16 million in national opioid settlement funds, and continue funding the Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) pilot program at the Richmond City Jail. She stated since its launch in January 2025, the program had served 178 individuals by providing medication-assisted treatment, substance use counseling, and discharge planning to support recovery and reduce overdose risk after release.
- 31 There were no further comments or discussions and Member Andrew Breton moved to forward ORD. 2026-140 and ORD. 2026-141 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and approved: Ayes 3, Breton, Jones and Lynch. Noes, 0.
- 32 The following ordinances were considered:
- 35 page break
- 36 Public Hearing
- 37 There were no public hearing speakers.
- 38 Steve Harms, Senior Policy Advisor, presented ordinances to extend the City’s agreements with the Salvation Army for operation of the year round 50 bed men’s shelter, inclement weather shelter services, and associated resource center at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue. He stated the extensions would continue expanded shelter capacity and support services established nearly three years ago, while maintaining emergency shelter operations during both winter and extreme summer weather.
- 39 Committee members reflected on the city’s progress in expanding homeless shelter services, and commended city staff and partners for their sustained work.
- 40 There were no further comments or discussions and Chair Stephanie Lynch moved to forward ORD. 2026-143 and, ORD. 2026-144 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and approved: Ayes 3, Breton, Jones and Lynch. Noes, 0.
- 41 The following ordinance was considered:
- 43 Public Hearing
- 44 There were no public hearing speakers.
- 45 Dominic Barrett, Senior Policy Advisor, Neighborhood and Community Services, presented the ordinance to reappropriate funds to support the city’s surge shelter partnership with CARITAS. He stated that the additional funding would cover expanded shelter operations beyond the original contract due to increased demand and severe weather events.
- 46 Committee members asked about the impact of transferring funds from a Venture Richmond budget line item to support expanded surge shelter operations. Mr. Barrett explained that the reappropriated funds came from a separate operational expense allocation that Venture Richmond determined was no longer needed, and that the transfer would not affect the organization’s core services or other funded activities.
- 47 There were no further comments or discussions and Vice Chair Nicole Jones moved to forward ORD. 2026-139 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and approved: Ayes 3, Breton, Jones and Lynch. Noes, 0.
- 48 The following ordinance was considered:
- 50 Public Hearing
- 51 There were no public hearing speakers.
- 52 Eva Colen, Senior Policy Advisor with the Office of Children and Families, provided an introduction to the proposed ordinance stating it would continue a YMCA operated after school program at six Richmond elementary schools, and programs offered through Parks and Recreation. She also spoke about capacity challenges, waitlists, and the limited availability of licensed childcare space within schools.
- 53 Committee members asked about opportunities to expand capacity through additional school space and community-based partnerships. Ms. Colen stated that they were working with Richmond Public Schools, childcare providers, and community organizations to identify new options, while acknowledging that broader childcare shortages remain a significant challenge.
- 54 Jackie Hale, Early Childhood/Maternal Health Strategist with Neighborhood and Community Services, reported that the office was reviewing childcare subsidy participation data and working with the Department of Social Services to better understand enrollment rates among eligible families. She also stated that efforts to identify and map more than 50 community based childcare providers would be shared with schools to help connect families to additional childcare resources.
- 55 Committee members discussed access to childcare subsidies and after-school care, emphasizing the need for better outreach and improved enrollment processes for eligible families. Staff reported that they are working to identify community based childcare providers that could offer after school services and provide families with additional options beyond school based programs. Members expressed their concerns that many eligible families may be unaware of available childcare subsidies or face barriers when applying. Administration agreed to continue working with the Department of Social Services to analyze penetration rates and identify opportunities to improve access to childcare assistance.
- 56 There were no further comments or discussions and Chair Stephanie Lynch moved to forward ORD. 2026-142 to Council with the recommendation to approve, which was seconded and approved: Ayes 3, Breton, Jones and Lynch. Noes, 0.
- 61 There were no amendments or corrections to the meeting minutes of May 14, 2026, and the committee approved the minutes as presented.
- 64 Council staff provided the committee with the June Education and Human Services staff report.
- 65 A copy of the material provided has been filed.
- 66 Adjournment
- 67 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:04 p.m.