OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Education and Human Services Committee Meeting - May 14, 2026

City Council — Thursday, May 14, 2026
BodyRichmond, Virginia
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, May 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:11
Transcript — Verbatim
27:37

I guess there's a lot of the things that you can do is like it's not very important.

27:45

Okay, that's a little showing.

28:21

Madam Clerk, I believe we have quorum.

28:25

Yes, Madam Chair, you do.

28:26

All members are in attendance today.

28:29

Go ahead and read the um uh public um comment and evacuation.

28:35

Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building.

28:39

Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the east or west there.

28:44

We're all outside the rear doors of the chamber.

28:46

Do not use elevators or escalators.

28:49

After exiting the building, proceed down 9th Street and into the assembly area located in the former public safety building parking lot.

28:57

Able persons should assist visually and hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building.

29:02

Public speaker guidelines.

29:04

Individuals wishing to speak during the public hearings and the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak.

29:10

Persons appearing before the committee are not allowed to campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties or address a question staff members directly.

29:30

All questions are to be directed to the committee chair.

29:33

Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which can include barn from attendance at future meetings of the committee for a period of six months.

29:46

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

29:47

Is there anyone here for our public comment period?

29:50

Public comment is now open.

29:52

Is there anyone present who wishes to address this committee regarding items not on today's agenda?

29:59

Madam Chair, seeing nine, and no one signed up to speak virtually before the 10 a.m.

30:03

deadline.

30:04

The public comment period is now closed and back to the committee.

30:08

All right, Madam Clark.

30:09

Well, committee members, um, we have our first presentation from Allison Sailors, who is our esteemed colleague from uh from our health and human services department.

30:18

She's going to join us and give us our annual report.

30:20

We usually always hear at the end of the season from our inclement weather uh shelter stakeholders and kind of get some metrics and and outcomes on how that shelter was run this year.

30:30

So without further ado, Alison, welcome.

30:35

Thank you, Cheryl Lynch, and hello, Council members.

30:38

My name is Alison Saylors.

30:39

I'm the manager of the Office of Homeless Services.

30:41

And like Cheryl said, I'll be giving you an overview of this year's inclement weather shelter.

30:48

Brief agenda, um, we'll talk about kind of the data for individuals and families from this past inclement weather season.

30:55

We'll go over the budget and the sheltering budget specifically for homeless services from this past fiscal year.

31:00

Um, we'll give an update on successes and opportunities uh for the future, and we'll also talk a bit about um we all remember wow winter storms, Fern and Giana and the special efforts that went there to to keep people sheltered and safe.

31:19

Just as a refresher, um Inklin Weather Shelter is operated nightly by Salvation Army at 1900 Chamberlain Avenue.

31:27

Uh we have actually folks from Inkling Weather Shelter and Surge here in the office or in the room.

31:32

So I do want to give them a shout out.

31:34

Octavia, Emily, and Matthew are here representing the awesome work that they did this past winter as Inklet Weather Shelter and SERG shelter operators.

31:44

So Inclot Weather shelter runs November 15th through April 15th, has a hundred and six beds total, sixty-six men's and 40 women's.

31:52

Typical operating hours are five p.m.

31:54

to eight a.m.

31:55

Um, with an extended hours based on temperature.

31:58

Surge operates or is eligible for activation December 1st through March 31st.

31:59

And that activation is based on the weather being 40 degrees or below for at least two hours, and inclined weather shelter having reached capacity.

32:10

That contract this year was for 60 beds when those typical operating hours are the same as inclement weather shelter, again, with the option to extend based on temperature.

32:20

And just noting that on nights when surge is activated, transportation is provided to SERGE from Inklet Weather Shelter via our partners at GRTC.

32:31

So this graph here just gives you an overview of the average number of guests at Inklant Weather Shelter and surge shelters each month, as well as the total number of surge activations.

32:43

First thing I'll point out is that surge was activated 87 nights this winter.

32:48

We initially contracted surge to be open for 30 nights, so we ended up needing it nearly triple the amount of times that we anticipated based on capacity and based on weather.

32:58

The other thing I'll point out is in January and February, looking at the average number of guests at Inklant Weather Shelter and Surge, you'll see that they very nearly reach capacity or over capacity.

33:11

So again, just want to highlight the dedication of the providers here to keep people safe, especially when the weather got really dangerous and scary there for a little bit.

33:22

And then you can also see the average number of total guests spiked in January and February because of that severe weather that we saw those months.

33:35

Now we'll talk about families during inclined weather season.

33:38

My office provided emergency hotel placements for 47 unhoused or at risk households with minor children.

33:46

Key components of this program, we were prevention first.

33:49

We're luckily a referral source for the family crisis fund.

33:53

So families that came in that were not yet homeless but on the verge of it, we were able to prevent that a lot through the use of those funds to keep people housed, pay off rental arrears, et cetera.

34:03

We were very diversion focused, so every family that was placed in a hotel room first had to go through a pretty lengthy assessment process to determine did they have any resources in their own kind of their networks, natural supports that could help deter them away from the shelter system, so that we were only helping people that really had no other option.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness██████████████████████████████████34%
Public Health█████████████████17%
Economic Development███████████████15%
Affordable Housing██████████████14%
Youth Programs███████████11%
Procedural█████████9%
Summary of Proceedings

Education and Human Services Committee Meeting - May 14, 2026

The Education and Human Services Standing Committee met on May 14, 2026, at 2:00 PM (though the agenda indicates 6:45 PM) to hear presentations on the inclement weather shelter season, an update from Richmond Public Schools, human services updates, and to consider two ordinances. The meeting resulted in unanimous approval of both ordinances and several action items for follow-up.

Inclement Weather Shelter Presentation

  • Alison Saylors, Manager of the Office of Homeless Services, presented the annual review of the inclement weather shelter (IWS) and surge shelter operations for the 2025-2026 season. The IWS operated November 15 through April 15 with 106 beds (66 men, 40 women). Surge shelter was activated for 87 nights (contracted for 30) based on cold weather and capacity. Average guests neared capacity in January and February. The office provided emergency hotel placements for 47 households with minor children. During winter storms Fern and Giana, the city activated 24/7 shelter and warming centers for 17 straight days, with over 20,000 total overnight stays across all sites. No shelter turnaways occurred.
  • Budget highlights: $140,000 was budgeted for family hotel placements (Councilmember Lynch noted the need was closer to $300,000); an additional $514,000 was allocated for operating costs of all shelters via the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services.
  • Successes included improved coordination, new communication methods (call line and Richmond Ready Alerts), no turnaways, and placement of 16 surge shelter residents and 43 year-round shelter residents into permanent housing. Future plans include adding trauma-informed care training, an outreach worker at IWS, updated strategic plan, and exploring resources for older adults.
  • Councilmember Lynch requested data from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority (RRHA) on the number of vacant units and information on the emergency housing application process.

Richmond Public Schools Update

  • Superintendent Cameras reported that RPS received an $8 million increase in city funding but did not receive the full request, necessitating cuts including elimination of Richmond Virtual Academy and an additional $800,000 in reductions. Layoffs of 46 central office employees and furloughs are underway. Enrollment is projected to increase by 204 students (1% increase), bucking national declines. Demographic shifts include a decrease in Black students and an increase in Latino students, attributed to rising housing costs. The new Richmond High School for the Arts is nearing completion with a move-in date in late September. Graduation dates were announced (May 22–29).
  • Discussion: Councilmember Jones asked about the decline in Black students and school safety concerns (fights, bullying). Superintendent linked enrollment to housing affordability. School Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez noted that the 9th district has about 4,000 students compared to 1,200–2,000 in other districts, and requested better planning for growth from new developments. Committee requested that expected growth be included in the upcoming facilities master plan.

DCAO Human Services Updates

  • Amy Popovich, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services, provided brief updates: preschool enrollment partnership with RPS, Older Adult Month events (May 15), and the launch of a Greater Richmond Partnership to address homelessness (updating the 2020–2030 plan with community input by July, presentation in September). No questions were raised.

Ordinance 2026-098 – Southside Plaza Lease Extension

  • This ordinance authorizes a 15-year lease extension for the city at 4100 Hull Street (Southside Community Services Center) with an option for five additional years and a right of first offer to purchase. The annual rent is reduced to $399,075 (saving $164,000 per year). The landlord is providing a tenant improvement allowance of $576,000, full replacement of HVAC units, elevator repair, roof and window work. The second floor is provided at no additional charge and may be subleased to community organizations.
  • Motion to forward to council with recommendation to approve was approved unanimously (3-0).

Ordinance 2026-11 – Virginia Department of Health Agreement

  • This ordinance authorizes the local government agreement with the Virginia Department of Health for funding public health services provided by the Richmond City Health District. Funding for FY26 has already been appropriated. Dominic Barrett (Senior Policy Advisor) presented; Deanna Krautner (Chief Operations Officer, Health District) answered questions.
  • Councilmember Jones requested outcome metrics (not just indicators), the community health improvement plan (published that day), gun violence prevention strategy, and details on community health workers at community centers. Krautner stated the health department is developing a performance snapshot and can share data more regularly. She noted that community health workers in Southside currently operate out of the WIC clinic in the same plaza.
  • Motion to forward to council with approval was approved unanimously (3-0), with the condition that the requested outcome data, community health improvement plan, and gun violence prevention information be provided by the next committee meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 2026-098 (Southside Plaza lease) forwarded to council with recommendation to approve – unanimous.
  • Ordinance 2026-11 (VDH agreement) forwarded to council with recommendation to approve – unanimous, with follow-up information requested.
  • Action items:
    • RRHA to provide data on vacant units and emergency housing application process.
    • RPS to include expected growth in the facilities master plan when presented.
    • Virginia Department of Health to share community health improvement plan, outcome data, and gun violence prevention information by the next committee meeting.
  • Minutes from April 9, 2026, were approved.
  • Next meeting: June 11, 2026, at the same time and location, with anticipated updates from the Department of Justice Services and Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Meeting Transcript

I guess there's a lot of the things that you can do is like it's not very important. Okay, that's a little showing. Madam Clerk, I believe we have quorum. Yes, Madam Chair, you do. All members are in attendance today. Go ahead and read the um uh public um comment and evacuation. Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the east or west there. We're all outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators. After exiting the building, proceed down 9th Street and into the assembly area located in the former public safety building parking lot. Able persons should assist visually and hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building. Public speaker guidelines. Individuals wishing to speak during the public hearings and the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before the committee are not allowed to campaign for public office, promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to their official duties or address a question staff members directly. All questions are to be directed to the committee chair. Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which can include barn from attendance at future meetings of the committee for a period of six months. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Is there anyone here for our public comment period? Public comment is now open. Is there anyone present who wishes to address this committee regarding items not on today's agenda? Madam Chair, seeing nine, and no one signed up to speak virtually before the 10 a.m. deadline. The public comment period is now closed and back to the committee. All right, Madam Clark. Well, committee members, um, we have our first presentation from Allison Sailors, who is our esteemed colleague from uh from our health and human services department. She's going to join us and give us our annual report. We usually always hear at the end of the season from our inclement weather uh shelter stakeholders and kind of get some metrics and and outcomes on how that shelter was run this year. So without further ado, Alison, welcome. Thank you, Cheryl Lynch, and hello, Council members. My name is Alison Saylors. I'm the manager of the Office of Homeless Services. And like Cheryl said, I'll be giving you an overview of this year's inclement weather shelter. Brief agenda, um, we'll talk about kind of the data for individuals and families from this past inclement weather season. We'll go over the budget and the sheltering budget specifically for homeless services from this past fiscal year. Um, we'll give an update on successes and opportunities uh for the future, and we'll also talk a bit about um we all remember wow winter storms, Fern and Giana and the special efforts that went there to to keep people sheltered and safe. Just as a refresher, um Inklin Weather Shelter is operated nightly by Salvation Army at 1900 Chamberlain Avenue. Uh we have actually folks from Inkling Weather Shelter and Surge here in the office or in the room. So I do want to give them a shout out. Octavia, Emily, and Matthew are here representing the awesome work that they did this past winter as Inklet Weather Shelter and SERG shelter operators. So Inclot Weather shelter runs November 15th through April 15th, has a hundred and six beds total, sixty-six men's and 40 women's. Typical operating hours are five p.m. to eight a.m. Um, with an extended hours based on temperature. Surge operates or is eligible for activation December 1st through March 31st. And that activation is based on the weather being 40 degrees or below for at least two hours, and inclined weather shelter having reached capacity. That contract this year was for 60 beds when those typical operating hours are the same as inclement weather shelter, again, with the option to extend based on temperature. And just noting that on nights when surge is activated, transportation is provided to SERGE from Inklet Weather Shelter via our partners at GRTC. So this graph here just gives you an overview of the average number of guests at Inklant Weather Shelter and surge shelters each month, as well as the total number of surge activations. First thing I'll point out is that surge was activated 87 nights this winter.

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