Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Education and Human Services Standing Committee of the Richmond City Council met on October 9, 2026, to hear a public comment on homelessness, receive a detailed presentation on the updated strategic plan to end homelessness, and vote on several ordinances related to opioid settlement funds, shelter operations, and other initiatives. The meeting ran approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
Strategic Plan Update to End Homelessness – Alison Sailors, Manager of the Office of Homeless Services, presented the "Greater Richmond Partnership to Address Homelessness and Housing Instability," an update to the 2020 plan. Key points included:
Ordinance Approvals – The committee voted on several ordinances in blocks:
Board Vacancies: The committee approved reappointments to the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority (Taylor Davis, Arya Kirkland Harris, Dana Sally Allen) and continued the vacancy for the Advisory Board of Recreation and Parks.
Well, greetings. Apologize for my tardiness. I was helping some special guests get here, navigate their way. Parking garages or not, easy to navigate in the city of Richmond as you all. Well, anyway, we'll call this meeting to um order. And uh, Madam Clerk, if you can read the chamber evacuation uh plan announcement public speaker guidelines. 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 north or south stairwells outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators after exiting the building. Security would direct everyone down 9th Street to the fence area located between Clinton and Lee Streets. Able persons should assist visually in hearing impaired visitors with exiting the building. Individuals wishing to speak during 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 resort in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which can include barring for attendance at future meetings of the committee for a period of six months. Members of the public who registered in advance to speak virtually will be called at the appropriate time, either during the public comment period or doing the public hearing for the legislation on which they sign up to address. And Madam Chair, all members are in attendance today, and you do have a quorum. Madam Clerk, do you have anyone for public comment? Public comment is now open. Is there anyone person who wishes to address this committee regarding items not on today's agenda? Madam Chair, there is one citizen who signed up to speak virtually for the public comment period. Rhonda Sneed, you may now unmute yourself and proceed with your comments. Hello? Can you hear me? Hello. We can hear you. Okay. Um I'm Rhonda Sneed from Blessing Warriors RBA. I just have a couple of questions. Um, this past summer, dealing with our unsheltered people, there's been a lot of issues. For instance, families. When we come across families with children, let's say at 10 o'clock at night, they call me. There is no protocol, there's no one to call, nothing to do. I did contact Tiffany Ford at one time, and they had some kind of protocol that they wanted us to become a partner with, but I didn't agree with we didn't agree with it because it only they only had the uh referral eligibility was the child had to be three years or under, or a child under 18 with a chronic health condition, such as asthma or heart or kidney disease, or uh an individual who was three months pregnant. I don't think a child four years old should be discriminated against because they're four years old. It's okay for them to be sleeping at tent or on a bench. Then that I or one of the people from Blessed Warriors had to be present with the family. So I they call us at home and we have to get out of bed to go see this family versus we just contact whoever the worker is, they go see the family. But that was only in the process when the shelter cooling center was activated. So that was what six, seven times this past summer. Otherwise, tonight, family contacts us at 10 o'clock at night. What is the protocol? Who made this protocol about the child had to be three years uh or younger?