RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond residents and advocates packed a City Council meeting on Monday night, speaking up about the need for improved living conditions in mobile home parks.
In March, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula toured Rudd’s mobile home park on the city’s South Side to hear resident concerns and to get a firsthand look at the dilapidated conditions that many owners say they are living in.
On Monday night, several residents spoke out at the Richmond City Council meeting, accusing Avula of failing to fulfill a promise he made soon after being elected mayor.
“As a nurse and a mother, I am appalled at the conditions of mold, mildew, and extremes in temperatures that they and their children are experiencing," advocate Beverly Ross said.
In January, Richmonders Involved to Strengthen Our Communities (RISC), made up of 28 congregations, met with Avula to ask that $800,000 more be allocated to mobile home repairs, along with millions in funding toward the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, a fund created by a city ordinance that provides a dedicated source of money to address long-term housing needs.
“What we’re asking for, $800,000, is less than one-tenth of one percent of the entire discretionary budget of the city,” RISC member Alex Creager said. "This will not stop other projects. If we delay putting this in the budget, it will cost the city long-term both for the repairs and also for the health of the families who are there.”
Watch: Thousands approved to help 'worst living conditions' in Richmond. Why hasn't it been spent? (2023)
Richmond has a program specifically designed to help with mobile home repairs in partnership with the nonprofit Project Homes.
In 2024, Project Homes helped with 20 repairs across the city’s eight mobile home parks.
According to Mayor Avula's chief of staff, Lawson Wijesooriya, the third phase of the program will continue through fiscal year 2026 to complete outstanding projects, and after that, funds will be reevaluated.
He went on to say that the mayor didn’t intend to add a line-item expenditure to the next budget and apologized for the confusion.
City residents say that more must be done to help low- and moderate-income families struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
“Our roof leaks every time it rains, and I am afraid that it will collapse on top of me and the children," Elva, who lives in a mobile home park, said.
"Honestly, the money I make barely gets me through the month. I can’t even afford to go see a dentist," resident Latrice Gregory said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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