RICHMOND, Va. — A community-based organization is urging Richmond City Council to secure funding for much-needed mobile home park repairs after a promised $800,000 allocation was unexpectedly excluded from the city’s newly proposed budget.
Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities (RISC), led by Rev. Marvin Gilliam, the pastor at Mount Carmel Baptist Church, has been advocating for years to improve living conditions in the city’s mobile home parks. The homes, many of which are aging and in disrepair, house some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. For these families, the mobile homes represent affordable housing options — but the deteriorating conditions, including water leaks, mold, and rodent infestations, have made it increasingly difficult for families to live in safe and healthy environments.
“These are mobile homes that are old and in really bad shape,” said Gilliam. “These are the places right now that these individuals can afford, and it’s really challenging for them to be able to make ends meet, as well as care for their children, in these kinds of conditions.”
On Monday, April 14, more than 80 members of RISC attended the Richmond City Council meeting, demanding that their voices be heard on behalf of those living in mobile homes. They described homes that have not only structural damage but also issues with water leaks leading to mold growth and an infestation of rodents.
“Neglecting immediate repairs means more families fall into chronic homelessness and adds to future cycles of poverty, illness, and despair,” one RISC member told the council.
Earlier this year, RISC was informed by Richmond Mayor Danny Avula that the city would allocate $800,000 from the fiscal year 2025 budget to fund repairs to mobile homes. The funding was expected to address urgent structural issues that have long plagued these communities. Additionally, Mayor Avula had committed to another $800,000 for fiscal year 2026, further underscoring the city’s investment in repairing these homes.
However, when the mayor unveiled the proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 on March 27, the additional $800,000 was nowhere to be found.
In response to questions from 8News, the city provided a statement explaining the discrepancy. According to Lawson Wijesooriya, Chief of Staff for the City of Richmond, the $800,000 in question would be carried over from fiscal year 2025 and allocated to the program in fiscal year 2026. The funds would remain appropriated for the Mobile Home Repair and Replacement program, but the confusion stemmed from the mayor’s earlier statements, which inadvertently misrepresented the funding as a new budget line item. Wijesooriya emphasized that Project:HOMES, which oversees the program, would need the upcoming year to complete its current projects before any additional funding would be considered.
Despite this clarification, RISC remains dissatisfied with the current allocation and is continuing to press for more immediate financial support. As the budget work session approaches, Councilwoman Kenya Gibson, who represents the Northside 3rd Voter District, has proposed an amendment to the budget to add an additional $1 million for the program.
“A budget is a moral document, and the living conditions for many in these mobile homes are clearly immoral,” said Gibson in a statement to 8News. “I have incredible respect for the work that RISC does to transform the lives of those in our community with the highest needs. They do their homework and turnout in mass numbers. This is what effective grassroots organizing looks like, and democratic bodies should respond.”
Gibson’s amendment seeks to provide immediate relief to those living in mobile home parks, addressing an acute housing crisis in the city. She hopes the city council will prioritize this amendment, recognizing the dire circumstances facing residents.
“If this amendment is voted down, we will continue to fight and advocate,” Gilliam said, acknowledging the urgency of the situation. “But more directly, these are individuals who are in desperate need of assistance — their homes are really falling apart.”
The Richmond City Council is scheduled to hold a budget work session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16, during which council members will consider amendments to the proposed budget. It remains to be seen whether Gibson’s proposal will gain enough support to secure the additional funding needed to repair and replace mobile homes in Richmond.
For now, community members and advocates are holding out hope that the city will respond to the needs of its most vulnerable residents, providing the necessary resources to improve living conditions and prevent further cycles of poverty.
