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To amend Ord. No. 2025-057, adopted May 12, 2025, which adopted the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Special Fund Budget and made appropriations thereto, by (i) transferring $1,100,000.00 from the “Safer Communities” special fund for the Department of Justice Services, (ii) creating two special funds for the Department of Justice Services called “Safer Communities - YWCA” and “Safer Communities - Next Up”, (iii) appropriating $600,000.00 of the transferred funds to the Department of Justice Services’ “Safer Communities - YWCA” special fund, and (iv) appropriating $500,000.00 of the transferred funds to the Department of Justice Services’ “Safer Communities - Next Up” special fund, all for the purpose of supporting the City’s Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention Framework.
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THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That Article I, Section 2 of Ordinance No. 2025-057, adopted May 12, 2025, which adopted a Special Fund Budget for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, and made appropriations pursuant thereto, is hereby amended by:
(a) Transferring funds in the amount of $1,100,000.00 from the “Safer Communities” special fund for the Department of Justice Services;
(b) Creating two new special funds for the Department of Justice Services called “Safer Communities - YWCA” and “Safer Communities - Next Up”;
(c) Appropriating $600,000.00 of the funds transferred by subsection (a) of this section to the new special fund created by subsection (b) of this section called “Safer Communities - YWCA”; and
(d) Appropriating $500,000.00 of the funds transferred by subsection (a) of this section to the new special fund created by subsection (b) of this section called “Safer Communities - Next Up”, all for the purpose of supporting the City’s Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention Framework.
§ 2. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.
O&R Transmittal Letter
DATE: December 2, 2025 EDITION: 1
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH: The Honorable Danny Avula, Mayor
THROUGH: Odie Donald, II, Chief Administrative Officer
THROUGH: Tanikia Jackson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Finance & Administration
THROUGH: Letitia Shelton, Director of Finance
THROUGH: Meghan Brown, Director of Budget & Strategic Planning
THROUGH: Amy Popovich, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Human Services
FROM: Greg Hopkins, Interim Director of Justice Services
RE: To Amend the FY26 Special Fund Budget by Appropriating $600,000.00 and $500,000.00 to Two New Special Funds for the Purpose of Awarding Those Funds to YWCA and Next Up, Respectively, as part of the Safer Communities Grant
PURPOSE: To amend the FY26 Special Fund Budget by (i) creating two Special Funds for the Department of Justice Services called: a)” Safer Communities - YWCA” and b)”Safer Communities - Next Up”, (ii) to amend the Safer Communities Special Fund for the Department of Justice Services by appropriating $600,000 to Safer Communities - YWCA and appropriating $500,000 to Safer Communities - Next Up (iii) by decreasing estimated revenue of the existing Safer Communities Grant by $1,100.000, for the purposes of a) advancing the development of a trauma-informed best practice Family Justice Center (FJC) model for survivors of violence across the City of Richmond (YWCA) and b) supporting high-quality Out-of-School Time (OST) opportunities for youth (Next Up).
BACKGROUND: Ordinance No. 2025-057 Adopted the Safer Communities Special Fund, an award from the Commonwealth’s Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). From the Award amount of $3,538,000, DCJS has approved allocations to both YWCA and Next Up. This Ordinance establishes the appropriation awarded for each of those entities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: After introduction, the proposed ordinance will be referred to a future Education and Human Services Standing Committee meeting for discussion, where the public is encouraged to attend and provide comments. After the committee’s recommendation to City Council, Council will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed ordinance.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL: Safer Communities funds are in alignment to support the City of Richmond’s Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention (GVPI) Framework. This framework is designed to guarantee that those directly impacted by gun violence, community members, and direct service providers have an opportunity to be both heard and served. The priorities of Safer Communities funding includes afterschool programs and mentorships, connections to education and economic opportunity, trauma-informed mental health care, credible messengers and violence interrupters, and strategies to build trust between law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders.
FISCAL IMPACT: Matching funds are not required for this grant.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon Adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: December 08, 2025
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: January 05, 2026
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Education & Human Services Standing Committee (December 11, 2025)
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Department of Justice Services and Department of Budget and Strategic Planning
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: Amends Ord. No. 2025-057, adopting the FY26 Annual budget, to include Special Fund
ATTACHMENTS: Grant award and supporting documentation
STAFF: Gregory Hopkins
Interim Director of Justice Services
(804) 646-3763