On April 20, over 30 public housing residents and other RePHRAME members brought their message of housing justice to the RRHA Board of Commissioners meeting. Cora Hayes, Anson Bell, and Vanessa Valentine spoke on behalf of RePHRAME during the public comment period. RePHRAME supporters gathered inside the meeting as Ms. Hayes questioned RRHA’s transparency and honesty in working with RePHRAME; Mr. Bell called on RRHA to step up its efforts to provide “Section 3” job training and employment opportunities for public housing residents; and Ms. Valentine urged RRHA to institute local rent payment and to put energy into building housing for low-income residents, not just tearing it down. Outside, more RePHRAME members held signs along Chamberlayne Avenue saying “Housing is a HUMAN Right” and “One City One Community,” as supportive drivers honked their horns and one man even parked his vehicle and joined RePHRAME.
RePHRAME’s impact on the 20th was immediate. After RePHRAME members spoke, one member of the Board of Commissioners asked that RRHA staff work to create an option for public housing residents to pay rent locally in Richmond. Currently most residents are required to mail their rent to Baltimore, MD, resulting in additional postage fees, inconvenience, and late fees being charged even when residents have mailed their rent on time. RRHA said they will work on creating a local rent payment process. In response to Ms. Hayes’ comments, RRHA also scrambled to explain why they had changed wording in RePHRAME’s Residents’ Bill of Rights without first informing RePHRAME in writing and without making clear on the document that the changes were made by RRHA.
RePHRAME calls on all residents of public housing, and anyone else who believes in transparency, inclusive communities, and better housing and employment opportunities, to join them in process and in action. Meetings are once a month, and action is frequent. Please call (804) 643-1086 x104 or email rephrame@justice4all.org for more information.
RePHRAME will continue to work to ensure that those who are most affected by housing decisions in Richmond have a seat at the table as plans and decisions take shape. Because we must!
On April 20, 2010 RePHRAME and partner organizations held a small demonstration outside while RePHRAME members and residents, Cora Hayes, Anson Bell, & Vanessa Valentine addressed the RRHA Board of Commisioner during one of their monthly meetings to resolve the following issues below:
Public Comment at 4-20-10 RRHA Board of Commissioners Meeting
Chairman Harrigan, Mr. Scott, and Members of the Board of Commissioners:
My name is Cora Hayes. I am a member of RePHRAME and today I would like to share with you our efforts to work with RePHRAME over the last six months.
·On September 15, 2009, RePHRAME invited RRHA to participate in a community forum on public housing redevelopment at Fay Towers. None of the RRHA leadership attended. ·On September 29, RePHRAME met with CEO Anthony Scott and provided him with a copy of RePHRAME's Residents' Bill of Rights. We asked him to review it and respond at our next meeting. ·Our next meeting with Mr. Scott, scheduled for October 21, was cancelled at his request because he was in Washington meeting with HUD. This meeting was rescheduled for November 10. On November 10, Mr. Scott agreed on behalf of RRHA to the following points in the Residents' Bill of Rights:
o a meaningful and enforceable resident participation process will guide all substantive decisions about redevelopment;
o the location of replacement units will be on the site of existing public housing units and/or in areas with additional advantages;
o each displaced household will have the right to choose to return to the redeveloped site or to relocate permanently to another replacement unit; and
o temporary relocations will always be to replacement units, and will only be used when required by space or necessity and will be for only as long as necessary, not to exceed 12 months.
Mr. Scott expressed concerns about other items in the RBOR, and we agreed to revisit these items at the next meeting.
·On January 27, we presented Mr. Scott with a revised version of the RBOR that we felt was responsive to the concerns he expressed in the previous meeting. Mr. Scott and RRHA's attorney offered alternative language for every item in the RBOR, including the four items already agreed to on November 10, 2009. We asked that Mr. Scott provide these alternatives in writing, and he agreed to do so within two weeks, i.e. by February 10.
·We did not receive these proposed revisions within two weeks, and still have not to this date. In the meantime, RRHA requested and held a meeting with the Richmond Tenants' Organization (RTO) on March 25 to discuss "RePHRAME's Bill of Rights." When RRHA sent copies of RePHRAME's Bill of Rights to members of RTO, it included RRHA's proposed revisions but was presented as "RePHRAME's Bill of Rights" and RePHRAME's contact information remained on the document.
RePHRAME's goal is to maintain and expand housing, employment, and other opportunities for Richmond's low-income residents. We have worked, and will continue to work, with tenant councils, the RTO, and other community partners to achieve this goal. We also would like to work with RRHA to achieve this goal, but we have not been encouraged by RRHA's actions to date. Misrepresenting RePHRAME's Bill of Rights and breaking commitments is not the way to build trust. We look forward to an improved relationship with RRHA in the future, and we will continue to work hard with our fellow residents and partners to accomplish our goals. Thank you very much.
Cora Hayes
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Chairman Harrigan, Mr. Scott, and Members of the Board of Commissioners:
I am a member of RePHRAME and today I would like to share RePHRAME's key priorities.
1. One-for-One Replacement of Public Housing – As you know, RePHRAME is committed to ensuring that there is no net loss in public housing units in the city of Richmond. RRHA representatives have stated publicly their intention to maintain, or even expand, the city's 4,100 public housing units. Why, then, has there been no clear statement letting residents know that RRHA will replace any units demolished or disposed through redevelopment? Moreover, why has there been no progress toward creating replacement units in the nearly 2 years since the 60 units of Dove Court were demolished? Since Dove Court was supposed to be a pilot project for redevelopment in North Jackson Ward, can we expect a similar timeline for Gilpin Court and Fay Towers? HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan has stated that 1-for-1 replacement is critical to make up for the thousands of public housing units that have been demolished or otherwise lost over the last 15 years. HUD is committed to not losing any more units of public housing. Shouldn't RRHA be committed to this goal as well? If so, we'd like to hear concrete details about how, where, and when replacement units will be built in North Jackson Ward, Dove Court, and elsewhere.
2. Effective Implementation of the Section 3 Program for Public Housing Residents – Section 3 of the HUD Act of 1968 calls for any HUD-assisted housing or community development project to include economic opportunities for public housing residents and other low- and very low-income residents. Since 1968 we have seen a widespread failure to implement and enforce Section 3. Given that economic opportunities are the key to ending the cycle of poverty, we ask RRHA to establish outcome-based, enforceable requirements for the implementation of Section 3 to ensure that public housing residents get these jobs and contracting opportunities.
3. Local Payment of Rent for Public Housing Residents – RRHA requires nearly every public housing resident to mail rent payments to a bank in Baltimore, Maryland. The vast majority of housing authorities across the country allow residents to pay rent locally, either at the housing authority office or at a local bank. Due to the recent blizzard on the East Coast and resulting delays in mail delivery, hundreds of public housing residents in Richmond received late payment notices and charges through no fault of their own. Even under normal circumstances, mailing rent payments means additional costs for residents and creates unnecessary hardship. We ask that RRHA work with RePHRAME to create a streamlined rent payment process for RRHA residents.
4. Enforced Timelines and Deadlines for Public Housing Construction and Redevelopment – RRHA has consistently failed to abide by timelines for public housing construction and redevelopment. Dove Court has been demolished for nearly 2 years with no clear plans for construction. Blackwell was torn down 11 years ago, and no replacement public housing units have been built to this day. These delays mean that residents who have been displaced by redevelopment effectively have no opportunity to return to their communities. We ask you to commit to timely replacement of any public housing units lost through redevelopment, and to allow any resident who so chooses to return to a replacement unit in their original community. Redevelopment should not be a way for RRHA to remove people from public housing who satisfy the criteria for recertification.
Short documentary created by University of Richmond students. Explores the history of public housing in Richmond and the current fight for housing justice, focusing in on the group RePHRAME (Residents of Public Housing in Richmond Against Mass Evictions).
Cora Hayes and Max Daniel will be representing RePHRAME tomorrow (Tuesday 3/16) at 3PM at the Land Use Committee meeting in City Council Chambers.
Cora and Max have worked with other RePHRAMErs to put together a great powerpoint presentation, which addresses the need for preservation of decent, affordable housing opportunities; better representation and work opportunities for residents; and more inclusive communities overall.
It would be great to have a group there to support Cora and Max. If possible please head down to City Hall (9th and Broad) tomorrow at 3PM.
RRHA Resident Commissioner Reappointed with Period Since Expiration of First Time Counting as Time Served
On Monday the 22nd City Council voted unanimously to reappoint the current RRHA resident commissioner, whose first term ended in November 2007 and who continued to serve for 27 months without being reappointed.
At the urging of RePHRAME, Marilyn Old's reappointment was changedfrom giving the resident commissioner another 4 years (starting now) to making the reappointment retroactive to the end of her first term (November 2007). Her second term will now end in November 2011 instead of February 2014 (resolution is attached).RePHRAME has already begun laying groundwork to nominate a highly qualified replacement in 2011.
This process has been an important step toward accountability and transparency in the operation of public housing by the City and RRHA, and the value of resident participation specifically. In the process of making this change, RePHRAME received positive commitments from members of City Council to increase resident representation on the RRHA Board of Commissioners, and to work toward greater transparency in RRHA overall.
·City Council Representation Cynthia Newbille agreed with RePHRAME's suggestions of an increased number of public housing residents serving on RRHA's Board of Commissioners. There are currently 3 open seats.RePHRAME member Ceonna Johnson is submitting her application within the month and we are seeking two more motivated, involved housing assistance residents interested in sitting on the board.
·RePHRAME member Cora Hayes is drafting formal complaint as a Richmond public housing resident to get HUD to notify RRHA about legally mandated resident participation measures.
·Two representatives of RePHRAME will attend City Council meetings regularly, to continue to encourage accountability and transparency around public housing issues in Richmond.
·RePHRAME has endorsedMay Day and will running a workshopon public housing issues either April 30th at the William Byrd Community Library or May 1st at Gallery 5
·RePHRAME member Curtis Evans spoke on behalf of residents at the General Assembly February 3rd. Curtis urged a subcommittee to change Richmond's harsh policies on trespassing in public housing communities including the questionable practice of banning individuals from all Richmond public housing without clear cause.
We’ve all read the recent headlines indicating families across the country are struggling to keep their homes. Yet while the nation’s foreclosure crisis looms large, an entirely different crisis threatens housing for Richmond’s poorest families.
These families live in public housing owned by the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which is planning to demolish hundreds of homes without a clearly expressed plan for the many families who will be displaced in the process. While we in Richmond may long for the day when surrounding counties help meet the community’s housing needs, until this day comes City officials must act responsibly.
Public housing exists because the private market does not provide sufficient housing to accommodate the elderly, poor and disabled who survive on fixed incomes and low wages. Today Richmond has roughly 4,100 public housing units, nearly 60% of the 7,064 considered “affordable” for families earning less than a third of the area’s median income (less than $13,624 per year). According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 18,000 such families reside in Richmond—meaning that nearly 11,000 families must live in housing they cannot afford.
Clearly, public housing fills a critical need. In fact, a 2007 report by the City stated that the “major housing demand … is for public and assisted housing.”
While recognizing that the greatest housing shortage occurs among our poorest residents is a key first step toward developing sound public policy, unfortunately for Richmond’s poorest residents RRHA has actually reduced public housing options in recent years. Starting in 1999, RRHA razed 440 units in the Blackwell community. Only 75 of the 540 replacement units were affordable to the families whose homes were destroyed. Delays, strict re-qualification restrictions, and other complications contributed to only 27 of the original families returning, while the rest were scattered across the evaporating pool of assisted housing. For hundreds of displaced families, Blackwell was an unnatural disaster.
Nearly 10 years later, another such disaster looms. RRHA recently gained HUD’s approval to sell 120 single-family homes sheltering poor families—with no plans for replacement. RRHA also plans to demolish the 60-unit Dove Court community to make way for mixed-income development, with no commitment regarding the number of public housing units included in the new development. And RRHA has indicated that Gilpin Court in Jackson Ward, home to 783 families, will be its next major redevelopment project. We cannot afford to let Gilpin Court become another Blackwell.
Housing advocates recommend de-concentrating poor families and instead creating mixed-income communities on the theory that families living among others from diverse backgrounds learn from one another, break down barriers, and gain opportunities. Indeed, these arguments often justify the demolition of public housing. But these benefits accrue only to the select few lucky enough to live in the redeveloped communities. Without careful planning, mixed-income communities are a hollow promise for the many families who are not allowed to return after their homes are destroyed.
RRHA may argue that public housing replacement options include “housing choice” vouchers. In theory, these vouchers allow a family to secure housing on the open market using a combination of their own income and a rental subsidy. In reality, vouchers are a poor solution. Private landlords do not have to accept the vouchers. Most do not. In fact, within the last 10 years the City has returned millions of dollars in vouchers to HUD simply because needy families in Richmond were unable to use them.
We must recognize that for all its challenges, public housing satisfies a crucial need for which there is no feasible substitute. Public housing is not perfect, but displacing hundreds of poor families, including the elderly and disabled, who call public housing home is no solution. Before we start bulldozing, we need a workable plan to build affordable replacement housing for the families whose homes will be destroyed.
RRHA has not clearly enumerated how many public housing units will replace those tagged for demolition. Engaging the community in theoretical conversations about the benefits of mixed-income living while ignoring the hard realities is at best an honest mistake, and at worst a travesty.
The City of Richmond and RRHA should commit to at least one-for-one replacement of any public housing units lost—and to a redevelopment planning process that is open and transparent. Richmond’s poorest families must have a seat at the table. Only by taking these steps can our community address Richmond’s most urgent housing needs.
This Op-Ed was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on March 6, 2008. Alex Gulotta is executive director of the Legal Aid Justice Center, and may be contacted at alex@justice4all.org. Cora Hayes is a public housing resident and serves on the Client Advisory Council of the Legal Aid Justice Center.
RePHRAME, Residents of Public Housing in Richmond Against Mass Evictions, is an alliance of public housing residents, advocates, and allies committed to housing justice for all in Richmond.
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The RePHRAME Concerns & Demands:
1.There should be 1-for-1 replacement of any public housing units lost through public housing redevelopment. In other words, there should be no net loss of public housing units. In addition, location of newly created public housing units, and other aspects of the redevelopment process, should increase the employment, education, and other opportunities of public housing residents.
2.Current residents should have the right to return to newly developed public housing without any additional screening or requalification process. In the past, additional credit checks and other screenings (above and beyond those to which public housing residents are routinely subjected) have been used to effectively prevent previous residents from coming back to the newly developed housing. We believe redevelopment should not be used to get rid of residents who have done nothing to warrant eviction.
3.Public housing residents should have a meaningful voice in decisions regarding their housing and communities. Currently only 1 out of 7 RRHA commissioners is a public housing resident. RePHRAME proposes adding 2 additional seats to the RRHA Board of Commissioners which would be filled with RRHA residents.
4. RRHA currently requires that residents mail their rent payment to a SunTrust bank address in Baltimore, MD. Residents must often pay late fees through no fault of their own due to delays in the mail system or processing delays in Baltimore. In February, hundreds of residents paid late fees when a blizzard caused the mail system to shut down. According to RePHRAME's research of dozens of housing authorities in Virginia and nationally, RRHA alone requires residents to mail rent out of state. RePHRAME surveyed hundreds of public housing residents in Richmond, and the overwhelming consensus is for a local rent payment option, at either the RRHA rent office in their neighborhood or at a local bank.
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