Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
MONTGOMERY COUNTY- Members from Virginia Organizing and their fellow citizens expressed discontent with communication from the Board of Supervisors during citizen comments at the Dec. 16, 2024 Board of Supervisors meeting.
In May of 2024, Virginia Organizing presented to the Board of Supervisors their Home Repair Initiative Program, which helped benefit residents who were renters or live in mobile homes/ trailer homes. During this presentation they asked the Board of Supervisors for their support and assistance in setting up a working group of individuals to help get this initiative started to help begin repairs for these residents, but now it is winter, and the residents Virginia Organizing is trying to help might suffer because of the incoming cold weather.
New River Valley Virginia Organizing representative Megan Shepard spoke to the Board of Supervisors, addressing the need for their support.
“We work on a range of things,” Shepard explained to the board, “including workers rights establishment or re-establishment of voter rights, education justice and then housing justice, which is what brings me here today. So today, I’m here to follow up on an original ask that we had earlier this year, I think it was in May, that we were here asking for an establishment of a working group for a whole home repair program for low income homeowners and or landlords of low-income renters. Now, when we were here earlier before talking about this, there was a lot of interest in holding landlords accountable, which is great. There were a couple members who expressed concern that if a whole home repair program was established that it might reward bad landlord behavior. So, we absolutely agree that holding landlords accountable is needed. Some examples of things that when we were talking to renters included, we talked to one woman, she was a single renter who would often do her own repairs as much as she could because her landlord made her feel very uncomfortable, both in the things that he said as well as things that he did including peering into her windows and trying to access her dwelling in the middle of the night unannounced. We also talked to people who didn’t get receipts for their rent payments or they were fearful of having rent hikes if they were to request a repair. To renters that had ridiculous rent hikes regardless of any repairs or improvement, so we definitely agree holding landlords accountable is important. We feel that establishing safe housing is going to take a multi-layer approach in both holding landlords accountable as well as establishing a whole home repair program to provide a very immediate need.”
Community members and Virginia Organizing members expressed discontent with the lack of communication they’ve received from the Board of Supervisors since their May 2024 presentation and original ask for support.
“We answered your questions,” Brandy Faulkner said, “We volunteered to answer even more questions at your convenience, and we volunteered to share with you all of the things that we have learned directly from the people in our community as we sat with them, as we’ve talked with them and listened to their needs. We asked this board to get a working group together consisting of some board members, our team and anyone else whose insight might be helpful as we think about next steps toward a whole home repair program. It has been almost seven months and there has been no follow up with us. Why is that acceptable? Since that time, we have missed two potential grant funding opportunities and that’s just two that I’m aware of, likely there have been more. Winter weather is here. It’s cold outside and people are already suffering: low-wage workers, poor people, our people. They are facing hundreds of dollars in monthly bills just to heat their dilapidated homes that have very poor insulation, broken windows with plastic and duct tape over them, holes in the floor and missing side panels.”
Members of Virginia Organizing asked the Board of Supervisors again for a working group to help work towards security for the residents that may be suffering this holiday season and need help.