Mayor Avula pushes for affordable housing and public safety in Richmond budget

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — As the deadline for Richmond’s budget draws near, Mayor Danny Avula expanded on his goal of strengthening affordable housing and public safety in the city.

On Friday, Feb. 27, Avula and other city leaders emphasized key proposed investments in the second pillar of the Mayoral Action Plan (MAP) for fiscal year 2027. "Pillar Two: Thriving Neighborhoods" includes the demand for more housing and getting people to stay in the city.

Avula spoke at Highland Terrace Apartments, a mixed-use building, and said it is a perfect example of what “Thriving Communities" should look like.

“When all those things align, you get buildings like this, you get communities and neighborhoods like this. And in Richmond, we need a whole lot more of this,” he said.

The mayor reiterated the pillars that he says will help Richmond’s housing market thrive and how he plans to execute them.

The first is establishing a reliable funding stream for building and preserving homes. Avula said one example is the affordable housing trust fund that was passed on Monday, Feb. 23.

“In our FY 2027 budget, that formula is going to yield a commitment of $11.7 million dollars to the affordable housing trust fund,” Avula said.

The next is "Code Refresh" which updates decades old zoning laws to build more homes and find more ways for people to stay.

The third is continuously working with public housing authorities like the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority to build high quality mixed-income communities.

The fourth pillar is preserving diverse communities by prioritizing anti-displacement efforts.

“In this budget, we will see $700,000 for the right to counsel program, $1 million for our family crisis Fund, $1 million for our eviction diversion program and $7.4 million in tax relief for older adults and persons with disabilities,” Avula said.

Avula also announced $15.6 million for renovation and safety improvements to the John Marshall Courthouse.  

The mayor said he hopes to have all these initiatives laid out by his budget by the March 11 deadline.