Crime
United Way report shows reductions in Richmond poverty, homelessness rates; mixed results in crime, education
The annual “Indicators of Community Strength” report put together by United Way showed progress made in the reduction of poverty in the region, but also spotlighted areas where work is still needed across the region, including crime and education.
While the population of the Richmond region continues to grow–up 6.4 percent from 2010 to 2016–the number of people who are living in poverty, homeless or getting pregnant as teens is falling, even as progress in education levels out, according to a report released today by the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg.
The 2017-18 Indicators of Community Strength report, a broad compendium of metrics designed to assess the health and prosperity of Richmond, Petersburg and nine other area jurisdictions, finds the number of people living below poverty thresholds declined between 2013 and 2015 by 1.1 percent, from 138,852 to 129,684, a decrease of 9,168 people, including 5,541 fewer children.
Within the region, the City of Richmond saw a 1.0 percent drop among residents living in poverty over the same period – from 51,290 to 50,763. In Henrico County, the decline was 2.0 percent, with Chesterfield County falling 1.1 percent. The City of Petersburg witnessed a slight uptick (0.3%), while Hanover County saw an increase of 0.6 percent.
“Poverty is an enormous problem for many across our region—not just in our cities,” said James Taylor, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg. “If residents cannot afford basic needs like food and safe housing, it is extremely difficult for them to work toward a higher degree of prosperity. It is encouraging to see positive trends in this area, but we know we still have a lot of work to do.”
The data cited in the Indicators report comes from a variety of highly credible sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Homeward, the Virginia Department of State Police, the Virginia Department of Social Services, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Employment Commission and the Virginia Department of Education. Data included is the most currently available at the time of publication.
Here’s how various indicators across Central Virginia played out this year.
Homelessness
The region continued to see accelerated progress in reducing the number of homeless, which has dropped 19 percent from a single point in time in January 2015 to a comparable day in January 2017 (818 to 662 people). The number of chronically homeless single adults (again, measured on one specific day in January) fell 37 percent over the same two-year period.
Teen pregnancy
Teen pregnancy rates continued a downward trend. The region has seen a 47 percent decline in teen pregnancies from 2010 (when there were 486 pregnancies) to 2015 (253 pregnancies). Most of the larger jurisdictions saw comparable decreases: City of Richmond (-42%), Henrico County (-46%) and Chesterfield County (-47%). Teen pregnancy rates in the City of Petersburg dropped 62 percent. Only Dinwiddie County saw an increase in teen pregnancy, up from 4 in 2013 to 8 in 2015.
“Teen pregnancy is an area where we have seen really positive shifts,” said Taylor. “United Way has worked closely with the Petersburg Department of Health to implement a program to address teen pregnancy in Petersburg. By working with students in schools as well as families, I think we have been able to make real progress.”
Unemployment
Unemployment rates continued to decline, in keeping with national trends. In 2016 the region’s unemployment rate was 4.0 percent, down from 5.4 percent in 2014 and 7.9 percent in 2010. The City of Petersburg had the highest unemployment rate in 2016 at 7.6 percent, while New Kent County’s was the region’s lowest at 3.4 percent.
The region saw a significant reduction in the number of adults without health insurance. From 2013 to 2015, those without insurance declined from 122,354 to 88,400, a drop of 28 percent. Charles City County had the highest percent of uninsured (19.5%), while Goochland County had the lowest (5.8%). The City of Richmond saw the biggest decrease, from 34,327 in 2013 to 24,703 in 2015, a 28 percent decline.
Education
The report also revealed areas where progress has not been as tangible, particularly in education. The percentage of kindergartners who met fall PALS-K benchmarks in 2016 was 84.6%, down from 87.4% in 2012.
The percentage of third graders who passed the Standards of Learning (SOL) reading test dipped slightly year over year, from 76.4 percent to 75.2 percent. In the City of Richmond, just 57.8 percent of third graders passed the SOL reading test this year. In New Kent County, 82.9 percent passed.
The SOL tests for eighth graders in English showed marginal improvement, with 73.0 percent of students passing (up 1.5% from 2016), yet remains almost three percent below the state average of 75.8 percent. Just 44.7 percent of Richmond city eighth graders passed the SOL test in English. In Hanover County, 83.4 percent passed.
Even fewer (40.2%) eighth graders in the City of Richmond passed the SOL test in Math, while 89.9 percent of eighth graders in Chesterfield County did so.
The on-time high school graduation rate in the United Way region has remained steady at 89-90 percent over the past three years. Graduation rates fell significantly in Charles City, New Kent, Petersburg and the City of Richmond. In Richmond, the rate fell from 80.5 percent for the class of 2016 to 76.6 percent for the class of 2017. In Goochland 96.5 percent of students graduated on time in 2017.
Four-year high school dropout rates have increased in the region, moving from 5.9 percent in 2016 to 6.9 percent in 2017. The City of Richmond dropout rate nearly doubled from 2016 to 2017, from 9.9 percent to 18.0 percent. The number of students dropping out of high school in Richmond increased by 18 percent, from 789 students in the class of 2016 to 928 students in the class of 2017. No students in the City of Colonial Heights dropped out during the 2016 school year.
The full report is available for download here (PDF).
Crime
Richmond Police names new LGBTQ+ community liaison
”We all deserve safe spaces. We all deserve a world of trust, a world where we all belong. The Richmond Police Department is committed to those goals,” said Captain Kimberly Mooney, “and I am thrilled, as the new LGBTQ+ liaison, to be able to work with the community to help us all achieve them.”
”We all deserve safe spaces. We all deserve a world of trust, a world where we all belong. The Richmond Police Department is committed to those goals,” said Captain Kimberly Mooney, “and I am thrilled, as the new LGBTQ+ liaison, to be able to work with the community to help us all achieve them.”
The Richmond Police Department has named Captain Mooney as the Department’s LGBTQ+ Community Liaison. The mission of RPD’s LGBTQ+ Community Liaison is to facilitate conversations and strengthen relationships with the community as well as increasing awareness, training and knowledge of inclusiveness within the department.
“Richmond is a diverse city and it’s important we’re proactive to ensure we hear from all voices within the community we serve,” said Interim Police Chief Rick Edwards. “Captain Mooney has been a valued leader within our department for more than 18 years and as our LGBTQ+ liaison I’m confident she will foster those partnerships that are vitally important to our mission at RPD.”
Mooney has a history of advocating for LGBTQ+ through various community forums and has worked collaboratively with members of Diversity Richmond. She leads the LGBTQ+ Awareness course for all RPD sworn officers and recruits, facilitating conversations to ensure officers are allies and are able to create a safe space for others to approach any police officer within the department.
Mooney is active with Out to Protect, Inc., a non-profit organization that develops education curriculum and training for law enforcement about LGBTQ+ issues and hate crimes.
As community liaison, Mooney’s first priority is to grow RPD’s LGBTQ+ liaison group within the department and to increase visibility and availability as a resource within the community. “I’m excited to strengthen relationships within the community and to elevate the voices of our LGBTQ+ citizens,” said Mooney. “We want the community to feel comfortable coming to members of the department. Together we can achieve the vitality that comes with trust, safety, and an inclusive world for all of us.”
For outreach and to schedule a meeting with Captain Mooney, she can be reached at (804) 646-6029 or [email protected].
Crime
New bill directs universities to implement human trafficking awareness training
The governor recently signed a bill that will require public higher education institutions to develop and implement a human trafficking awareness and prevention training program for first-year students to take during orientation.
By Anna Chen
The governor recently signed a bill that will require public higher education institutions to develop and implement a human trafficking awareness and prevention training program for first-year students to take during orientation.
Del. Emily Brewer, R-Isle of Wight, introduced House Bill 1555 which was signed into law on March 17 by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The measure is identical to Senate Bill 1373, introduced by Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier.
Patrick McKenna, co-founder of the Virginia Coalition Against Human Trafficking, said this bill is important for first-year students entering college.
“It’s critical that they understand traffickers’ means and methods and how they go about to create vulnerability,” McKenna said.
The training will hopefully help students understand their own potential vulnerabilities and be able to see and help others that could be taken advantage of, McKenna said.
“You can’t identify if you don’t know what you’re seeing,” McKenna said. “You can’t describe what you’re seeing, potentially how you are being exploited, or being groomed to be exploited.”
The bill is pertinent due to the rise of human trafficking, Brewer said during the House Post-Secondary and Higher Education subcommittee.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 140 cases in 2021 in Virginia, 120 cases in 2020, and 188 in 2019. The number of human trafficking victims is generally higher than the number of cases, according to statistics on the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which estimated between 150 to 300 victims every year in Virginia.
“We found this bill to be important to be able to really make sure that young people are aware of their surroundings and the effects of human trafficking signs,” Brewer said during the subcommittee.
The bill also requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, or SCHEV, to encourage private higher education institutions to provide the same human trafficking awareness and prevention training for students during their orientation programs.
Grace Covello Khattar is the associate for finance policy at SCHEV. The council invited all of the presidents of private colleges and staff to attend the next meeting where they will discuss training ideas, according to Covello Khattar.
“We plan to have a topic at the May council meeting as of now to really encourage our private institutions to develop and implement the same policies that our public institutions are going to be doing,” Covello Khattar said.
The preventative training is important and will hopefully help to bring exposure to the issue of human trafficking, Covello Khattar said.
“It could shed some light on some topics that they haven’t really considered before or maybe not in depth or detail that the orientation would present on,” Covello Khattar said.
The bill does not have a specific timeline for when the human trafficking prevention training must launch, but has an effective start date of July 1.
“It is enacted this summer,” Covello Khattar said. “So my understanding is that it will start this fall.”
Crime
Teen Summit RVA will bring together area students to share common concerns and solutions
The daylong event will be held on March 18th at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
Six hundred high school students from the Richmond area will gather at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Saturday, March 18, 2023, for Teen Summit RVA – the first in a series of annual meetings designed to engage and connect regional teens.
Teen Summit RVA 2023 will link high school students as they speak out against violence and seek solutions to daily challenges they face. Henrico County, the City of Richmond and Chesterfield County began collaborating on Teen Summit RVA in fall 2022.
The event will include panel discussions and interactions related to issues and concerns that students face daily – gun violence, drug use, mental health and equity in their school division and community. This diverse group of 14-to-18-year-olds also will be able to attend the [email protected] Regional Summer Opportunity Fair, which is presented by Virginia Career Works. Students will explore exhibits and learn about job, internship and volunteer opportunities as well as career and educational resources available to them.
Students have been selected by their schools to participate in Teen Summit RVA. While attendance is by invitation only, limited slots remain open. Any student from the participating school systems who would like to attend should contact their school’s guidance counselor.
“When students come together, their passion, creativity and hope for the future are greater than any challenge,” said Dr. Amy Cashwell, Superintendent of Henrico County Public Schools. “Teen Summit RVA is a tremendous step in bringing together students from across the region to make connections and spark solutions that cut across county and city borders. This is the start of something important for central Virginia.”
“Teen Summit RVA is a great opportunity for students to build their leadership skills and advocate for issues that impact their peers and our community. By listening to and building up our youth, we know we will see them lead us forward,” said Jason Kamras, Superintendent of Richmond Public Schools.
Students also will be able to express themselves by contributing to an art installation and recording their spontaneous responses to thought-provoking statements in an audio booth.
Other Teen Summit RVA experiences will cover Mental Health Matters, Changing the World and Keeping Schools Safe: An Open Discussion About School Safety.
Teen Summit RVA will be hosted by nationally known, Richmond-based comedian Micah “Bam Bamm” White and is sponsored by the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond.
“This innovative summit for central Virginia teens offers opportunities for them to connect with each other, hear from experts and speak up about issues important to them,” said Dr. Mervin B. Daugherty, Superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools.
“We are so very excited for the youth of the region that this event is being held,” said Dr. Joe Casey, Chesterfield County Administrator. “So often with young people, groups and organizations talk around them and not to them. This entire event is centered on the idea of listening to students and hearing what matters most to them. It’s imperative that we understand the needs of all residents, including young people. We can’t wait to see what comes out of this event and those like it in the future.”
Media outlets are welcome to provide news coverage of Teen Summit RVA. For more information, contact Ron Carrington at (804) 690-3972 or [email protected]. Student participants will be available for interviews upon request.
More information can be found at teensummitrva.com.
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