2019 Resolutions - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

EXHIBIT F*IRSTVCITIES 2019 General Assembly Legislative Program 2019 VFC Requests in shaded bold Community Wealth Building Virginia First Cities pioneered funding for the TANF for Employment Grant Program intended to provide aid to local governments to eradicate long term, intractable poverty through workforcelcareer training and access to holistic wraparound services. As well, our cities are in dire need of assistance from the state for older neighborhood residential revitalization, as well as residential public housing replacement. Lone -term policy positions: • Maintain funding for the current TANF for Employment Grant Programs at $7.5 million (round 1) and $3 million (round 2) in each FY 2020 and FY 2021. • Increase support for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. • Provide eligible working citizens better access to affordable housing and financing for public housing replacement. New policy positions: • Support for the General Assembly to establish a State Commission, led by the Virginia Housing Commission, that includes representatives of VHDA and DHCD, local redevelopment and housing authorities, and VFC, to identify financing methods to be developed or employed to assist our cities with transformational, mixed income neighborhoods and resident communication and transitioning resources. • Use a portion of the unspent balance of TANF funding to leverage funding for public housing replacement. Support the development and implementation of an eviction diversion pilot program. Virginia First Cities has been participating in the Campaign to Reduce Evictions (CARE) Program Services workgroup formed in response to the release of Princeton University's Eviction Lab data. We have also attended the Virginia Housing Commission's sub /work group on evictions. The issue of ameliorating evictions is a goal shared by all of our cities, and solutions lie in community wealth building, economic gardening, and ensuring access to jobs and careers that lead to sustainability.