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To support the designation of the city of Richmond as an Inclusive Recovery City and to support the Mayor’s commitment to providing resources to persons in recovery from addiction.
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WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities is an initiative that was created in the United Kingdom in an effort to reduce stigma around substance use disorder and recovery from substance use disorder by Professors David Best, Charlotte Colman, Stuart Green, Dot Smith, and Mulka Nisic; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities bring city councils, private and public organizations, housing facilities, welfare and health centers, specialist treatment providers and recovery community groups, employers, neighbors, people in recovery, and their families together to make recovery visible and to celebrate it; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities have been developed in 26 other localities across the world, including New Zealand, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and the Balkans; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities increase knowledge about recovery within the community and creates new connections to resources for people in recovery; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities encourage people struggling with addictions and promote and champion visible pathways to recovery; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities challenge stigmas toward people in recovery and the exclusion of people at all stages of their recovery journeys; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities engage and involve the wider public, policy makers, and practitioners in making recovery visible and celebrating it; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities contribute to the connectedness and wellbeing of the wider community; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, Inclusive Recovery Cities recognize the contribution of the recovery community to the wellbeing of the city; and
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 2022-R013, adopted on February 28, 2022, the Mayor and Council declared opioid drug overdoses a public health crisis; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, from January to June 2024, the city of Richmond has had 693 overdose emergency department visits, or 115 per month; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, in 2023, the city of Richmond had 1,750 overdose emergency department visits, which is an average of 146 per month; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Mayor and Council, in 2023, the city of Richmond had 297 confirmed fatal overdoses, of which, 270 were from opioids; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and Council believe that it is in the best interest of the residents of the city of Richmond that the Mayor and Council support the designation of the city of Richmond as the first Inclusive Recovery City in the United States to provide resources to persons in recovery from addiction;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND:
That the Council hereby joins the Mayor in designating the City of Richmond as an Inclusive Recovery City.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the Council joins the Mayor in supporting the Mayor’s commitment to provide resources to persons in recovery from addiction.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That, only to the extent permitted by law, facilitation of Richmond’s Inclusive Recovery Cities Initiative program is assigned to the Department of Human Services, to do the following:
1. Facilitate the work of the Inclusive Cities Council, which is the core group of people in the city who are leading the implementation process of “Inclusive Cities” in the city of Richmond.
2. Support the mission and vision specifically developed for the city of Richmond by the Inclusive City Council.
3. Support the activities, developed by the Inclusive City Council, to make recovery visible and to celebrate it in the city of Richmond.
4. Facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the City of Richmond’s Inclusive Recovery Cities Initiative.
5. Implementing and testing the concept of Inclusive Cities through the exchange of good practices between participating cities across the world.
6. Contribute to an international dialogue to promote the merits of Inclusive Recovery.