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To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, the County of Chesterfield, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting a Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project.
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THE CITY OF RICHMOND HEREBY ORDAINS:
§ 1. That the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, be and is hereby authorized to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, the County of Chesterfield, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting a Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project. The Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement shall be approved as to form by the City Attorney and shall be substantially in the form of the document attached to this ordinance.
§ 2. This ordinance shall be in force and effect upon adoption.
City of Richmond
Intracity Correspondence
O&R Transmittal
DATE: September 29, 2026
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH:The Honorable Dr. Danny Avula, Mayor
THROUGH:Odie Donald II, Chief Administrative Officer
THROUGH:Tanikia Jackson, DCAO for Finance and Administration
THROUGH:Letitia Shelton, Director of Finance
THROUGH:Meghan Brown, Acting Director of Budget and Strategic Planning
THROUGH:Amy Popovich, DCAO for Human Services
FROM: Jason Alley, Policy Advisor
RE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, the County of Chesterfield, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting the Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project.
ORD. OR RES. No.______________________________________________________
PURPOSE: To authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, the County of Chesterfield, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting the Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project.
BACKGROUND: The Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority (“VOAA”) is an independent body, the purpose of which is to abate and remediate the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth through financial support from the Opioid Abatement Fund, in the form of grants, donations, or other assistance, for efforts to treat, prevent, and reduce opioid use disorder and the misuse of opioids in the Commonwealth. VOAA has an annual application cycle that includes a competitive grant opportunity for proposals involving collaborations between two or more localities. During this cycle, Chesterfield County, in partnership with the City of Richmond and the City of Colonial Heights, submitted a cooperative project proposal for funding for a Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project, which will provide housing first stabilization and support to individuals within the communities of the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, and the City of Colonial heights that are substance-impacted, with both a crisis and longitudinal focus. On July 1, 2026, the City of Richmond was notified by the VOAA that the cooperative project proposed with Chesterfield County was approved with a locality match of $64,408.00 from Richmond’s individual distribution, at no fiscal impact to the City of Richmond. Chesterfield County will serve as the lead applicant and fiscal agent.
The Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project is a cooperative partnership with Chesterfield, Colonial Heights, and Richmond to build two pilot housing teams (one within the Chesterfield and Colonial Heights Departments of Social Services and one with Daily Planet, Inc., the City of Richmond’s community partner). The housing teams will consist of professionals providing housing stabilization and support to individuals within our communities that are substance-impacted, with both a crisis and longitudinal focus. This cooperative partnership will support substance-impacted individuals in our communities by achieving housing stability through providing funding assistance and support in becoming “housing ready,” by providing support for documentation, transportation, emergency housing, and legal services. This cooperative will also support individuals in crisis by providing immediate rental and eviction support, as well as funding for temporary housing supports to maintain stability if needed. In years two through five of this cooperative partnership, each housing team will create a system to provide multi-year (approximately two years) partial rental subsidies for eligible substance-impacted individuals in our communities to support long term housing stability. In preparation for this level of support, housing navigators will explore possible relationships with community providers/businesses to support these individuals - including potential set aside units for this program and/or exploring master leasing opportunities with the localities. Each team will consist of housing trained professionals that will connect substance impacted individuals to necessary resources. While these resources will consist of direct housing support, it will also include wrap around services, such as recovery services, medical and mental health support, employment services, and more. To implement these services, both teams will consist of a community-based housing navigator, who will develop relationships with local landlords and identify housing opportunities to facilitate successful placement of program participants, as well as a client facing housing navigator to support eligible individuals in obtaining and maintaining housing stabilization. It is expected that these housing teams will work closely with community providers, including peers, outreach workers and case managers to provide wrap around care and support. The Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals cooperative partnership incorporates several evidence-based best practices. The multi-year rental subsidy structure addresses the primary barrier to housing stability-affordability-while the wrap-around fund recognizes that housing readiness requires addressing documentation, transportation, and legal obstacles that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
As part of the cooperative partnership, the participating localities are required to enter into a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement, an operational agreement detailing each city and/or county’s responsibilities on how the project will be implemented, managed, reported on, etc.
This ordinance authorizes the Chief Administrative Officer, for and on behalf of the City of Richmond, to execute a Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement between the City of Richmond, Chesterfield County, and the City of Colonial Heights for the purpose of supporting the Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project.
There will be an ordinance that accompanies this ordinance to authorize the Chief Administrative Officer accept from the VOAA $64,408.00 in individual funds that will serve as a locality match to Chesterfield County to support the Housing Stabilization for Substance Impacted Individuals project.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Opioid abatement and remediation strategies utilized by the City of Richmond have and continue to be informed by significant stakeholder engagement and developed with direct input and support from external agencies and subject matter experts. This project is the result of regional collaboration between Chesterfield County and the City of Richmond.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL: RES. 2022-R013 declaring opioid drug overdose deaths as a public health crisis in the City of Richmond; Richmond Opioid Task Force; Chesterfield County
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no direct fiscal impact to the City. The funds used for this project are from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority. The City will receive $64,480.00 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, which will be appropriated and passed through to Chesterfield County, serving as the fiscal agent, to fulfill the City’s required match. The City’s match is fully funded by the grant proceeds received from the Authority, consistent with the approach used by all participating localities.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon adoption
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: November 9, 2026
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: December 14, 2026
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent agenda
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Finance and Economic Development
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Budget and Strategic Planning, Finance, Neighborhood and Community Services
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: Res. No. 2018-R094; Ord. No. 2021-234; Res. No. 2021-R078; Res. No. 2022-R013; Res. No. 2023-R010; Ord. No. 2024-099
ATTACHMENTS: Opioid Abatement Authority Cooperative Grant for Housing Stabilization Fund for Substance Impacted Individuals Award Letter and Package; Regional Cooperative Partnership Agreement
STAFF: Anna Jones, Opioid Response Strategist, 804-987-9160, Anna.Jones@rva.gov <mailto:Anna.Jones@rva.gov>
Jason Alley, Policy Advisor, 804-401-5863, Jason.Alley@rva.gov <mailto:Jason.Alley@rva.gov>