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Questions?
See if we’ve answered them below!
I'm traveling from out of town, where should I stay?
Thanks for making the trip to Richmond! There are a variety of hotels in the area, just a short ride to the summit venue.
Graduate Hotels
301 W Franklin St, Richmond, VA 23220
Delta Hotels by Marriott
555 E. Canal Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Hampton Inn & Suites
700 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219
What is included in my registration fee?
Hot breakfast, boxed lunch, parking, conference materials, and of course, the provided workshops!
Is there a cancellation fee if I find out I am no longer able to attend?
We can offer a full refund until March 29. After that, we will have to charge a $30 penalty if you cancel. If you prefer, you can donate your spot to a nonprofit or student that cannot afford to attend.
I’m a student. Can I attend?
Students are more than welcome to attend. To inquire about student volunteer opportunities offered in exchange for the registration fee, please email Summit@HOMEofVA.org
More questions? Email
Summit@HOMEofVA.org
Confronting Barriers:
Empowering Communities for Housing Equality
Virginia's Fair Housing Summit
Use hashtag #ConfrontingBarriers
@HOMEofVA @VCUWilderSchool
Registration for the event is now closed.
Here are the details of the event for those attending.
Summit Agenda
8:00 - 9:00 AM - Registration & Breakfast
9:00 - 10:15 AM - Opening Plenary
Susan Gooden, Interim Dean, VCU Wilder School
Heather Crislip, President & CEO, HOME of VA
Senator Jennifer McClellan, Virginia State Senate, 9th District
Lizbeth T. Hayes, Fair Housing Director, Virginia Fair Housing Office, DPOR
10:30 - 11:45 AM - Morning Sessions
Reasonable Accommodations and Fair Housing Rights for Persons with Disabilities
Beth Argent, HOME of VA
Kelly Hickok, Resources For Independent Living
Evictions in Virginia
Lavar Edmonds, Eviction Lab, Princeton University
Kathryn Howell, VCU Wilder School
Elora Lee Raymond, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology
Transportation Equity
Alex Baca, Greater Greater Washington
Ross Catrow, RVA Rapid Transit
Fabrizio Fazulo, Center for Urban and Regional Analysis
Mobilizing Civic Infrastructure through Urban Greening
Duron Chavis, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Meghan Gough, VCU Wilder School
12:00 - 1:15 PM - Lunchtime Keynote
Lisa Rice, President & CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance
1:30 - 2:45 PM - Early Afternoon Sessions
Source of Income Discrimination
Delegate Jeff Bourne, Virginia House of Delegates
Alex Guzmán, HOME of VA
Toni Jackson, HOME of VA
Noire Turton, Community Member & Advocate
Community Engagement
Shekinah Mitchell, Virginia LISC
Ebony Walden, Ebony Walden Consulting
Lea Whitehurst, Virginia Community Voice
Mariah Williams,The Spark Mill
Philanthropy’s Role in Advancing Racial Equity
Tamara Copeland, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
Fred G. Karnas, The Kresge Foundation
Michael Smith, Richmond Memorial Health Foundation
Greg Gallop, Community Engagement Officer, Community Foundation for a greater Richmond
LGBTQ+ Community
Lacette Cross, SidebySide
3:00 - 4:15 PM - Late Afternoon Sessions
The Lens We Wear: Discovering Opportunities in Bias
Tyra Beaman, Black Beyond Borders
Delonte Egwuatu, Black Beyond Borders
Gentrification
Stacey Sutton, University of Illinois Chicago
Ben Teresa, VCU Wilder School
Community-based Assessments of Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience
Jeremy Hoffman, Science Museum of Virginia
Aurash Khwarzad, Upper Manhattan Project
4:20 - 4:30 PM - Closing Remarks
Opening Plenary Speaker
Senator Jennifer McClellan
Virginia State Senate
Keynote Speaker
Lisa Rice
President & CEO, National Fair Housing Alliance
Session Topics
Community-based Assessments of Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience
Explore the interaction and intersection between housing policy, environmental disparity, and climate resilience. Examples of recent work in Richmond and New York will serve as case studies to better understand how communities are impacted by environmental issues and effective strategies they can implement to overcome negative impacts.
Community Engagement
Community engagement enables a deeper understanding of community members experiences within the spaces they occupy. Both the processes and outcomes of this engagement have the ability to shape the various systems that work to ensure that individuals and families have access to opportunity. Working to make a collective impact within these systems in order to help the most vulnerable requires a thoughtful and intentional public engagement.
Evictions
National data has shined a light on an eviction crisis in Virginia that some have said was “hidden in plain sight” for years. Five of Virginia’s largest cities, and three of its mid-sized cities, have some of the highest eviction rates in the country. This session will provide background on the underlying cause of the eviction epidemic and case studies of how various communities are working to ensure rental housing stability.
Gentrification
Gentrification is the processes in which higher income or higher status people relocate to, or invest in, low income, urban neighborhoods; neighborhoods that have been historically disinvested. This session will discuss the underlying causes of gentrification - historic, systemic housing discrimination and racial wealth inequality and its impacts beyond displacement. We will also provide community based and public policy solutions to ensure neighborhoods remain affordable, socially intact, vibrant, healthy, and diverse.
The Lens We Wear: Discovering Opportunities in Bias
This interactive session will guide participants in developing a deeper understanding of how their own identities help to construct and inform their biases. Through a variety of activities, participants will be challenged to distinguish and make connections between social structures and their personal identities in order to better understand one's place, agency, and access in our world.
LGBTQ+ Community
This interactive training focuses on working with the LGBTQ+ community. Participants learn basic understanding of LGBTQ+ identities, housing information, as well as best practices for supporting LGBTQ+ persons in the community.
Mobilizing Civic Infrastructure Through Urban Greening
This session will examine how urban greening initiatives can promote the built environment and serve as a vehicle to build community and increase local civic capacity. Speakers will discuss the importance of cross-sector partnerships, philanthropy and resident leadership in creating community-based and culturally relevant greenspaces.
Philanthropy's Role in Advancing Racial Equity
The philanthropic community can play an integral role in advancing racial equality. This session will focus on the various ways in which philanthropic organizations can invest in their communities to overcome historic disinvestment, create wealth generating opportunities, and work to close the racial wealth gap.
Reasonable Accommodations and Fair Housing Rights for Persons with Disabilities
This session will provide insight into the extra protections for persons with disabilities awarded under the state and federal fair housing laws: reasonable accommodations, modifications, and design and construction accessibility standards. The presentation will illustrate the difficulties present in finding accessible housing for individuals with disabilities and what housing discrimination might look like at various stages in the rental process. Goals of the presentation are for consumers to be empowered by knowing their rights.
Source of Income Discrimination
In searching for a place to live, many households face discrimination by landlords who are unwilling to rent to housing choice voucher holders. As a result, many states and localities have adopted laws prohibiting housing discrimination based on source of income. This session will provide multiple perspectives on the issue in Virginia, from the data, to difficulties in finding quality housing, to the legislative push to enact protections.
Transportation Equity
Accessible, affordable transportation is a critical community asset. Low-income residents disproportionately rely upon public transportation to access jobs, educational opportunities, and health care. This session will discuss the critical role that transit access plays in social and racial equality, provide analysis of existing systems, and discuss best practices.
You can park in the Main Street Deck between Laurel and Cherry Streets. The Main Street Deck appears as a large blue spot with a "P" in the middle.