Dear ,

Today is our “Day for All People” – our big advocacy day in Richmond. Although some folks have registered for the virtual option, which is only available for the plenaries, most people are coming in person. We are excited to have VICPP folks back in the building – lifting justice in the General Assembly. 
 
Last week I told you we were “off and running.” And we were. Two of the tenant protection bills got out of subcommittee #1 of House General Laws and more will be considered tomorrow. The solitary confinement bill we are supporting passed out of the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee. The maternal health bill to allow licensed midwives to administer life-saving drugs passed out of subcommittee #1 of the Health, Welfare and Institutions (HWI) Committee yesterday. The bill to create a study to look at maternity hubs will be heard tomorrow morning at another HWI subcommittee. Don’t worry if you can’t keep track of everything – I struggle myself. The best updates are available HERE at our bill tracker.  
 
The budget is always one of the last things that gets negotiated. We are seeking money in the budget for affordable housing. We are going to need to push hard to make this happen, but there is broad bipartisan support for investments in affordable housing. Thus, we are asking you to join our Day of Action and Prayer on Saturday, January 21, 2023 lifting the need for the General Assembly to invest money in affordable housing. This will be part two of our Day for All People. So even if you weren’t able to join us today, please participate on Saturday. You can join an already existing vigil or gather a group of a few friends and do one on your own – just let us know, so we can claim the event in our press work and help you line up press coverage. Click HERE for the planning guide and HERE for the vigil litany. The list of already planned events is shown below in this week’s edition of the Weekly Roundup and will continue to be updated as more are added this week.  
 
Stay tuned and keep watching your emails. Please respond quickly to action alerts – we usually only have 24 hours' notice and your responses make a BIG difference. 
 
Thank you for your advocacy. 

Running, 

Kim Bobo
Executive Director

This weekend, VICPP and our partners around Virginia will be hosting prayer vigil actions on the topic of our housing crisis. This Saturday and Sunday, January 21 and 22, five different localities will bring together congregations, housing activists, and others concerned about Virginia’s affordable housing crisis to advocate money to be allotted in Virginia’s budget for affordable housing. Check out the list below, and plan to attend if you live close to one. If you are interested in hosting a vigil (it can be five people in your congregation’s parking lot or 50 people at a rental property evicting people), we would love to have you join this clarion call! Please email both VICPP faith organizer Sheila Herlihy Hennessee (sheila@virginiainterfaithcenter.org) so we can add you to the map and schedule, and Director of Communications Ayesha Taylor (AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org) to track and coordinate media coverage that will help propel the cause!

•  Waynesboro Housing for All Vigil: Sunday, January 22 at 3 p.m. at Embrace Community Center (932 Fir St., Waynesboro, VA) 
• In solidarity with African Communities Together: Saturday, January 21 at 10 a.m. at Southern Towers in Alexandria (4901 Seminary Rd, Alexandria, VA 22311) 
• First Unitarian Universalist Church of Richmond: Saturday at 10 a.m. (time to be confirmed) at 1000 Blanton Ave, Richmond, VA 23221 
  
• Forest Hill Presbyterian Church: Saturday, January 22 at 4 p.m.at 4401 Forest Hill Ave, Richmond, VA 23225 
  
• Southwood Apartments: Saturday, January 21 at 10 a.m. at 4602 B Southwood Pkwy, Richmond, VA 23224 
  
• Wytheville, Virginia (details to come) 
  
• Hampton Roads, Virginia (details to come) 
  

Click the button below to see the map of locations for vigils as it's updated, download the script, and download the organizing guide for planning purposes. 

Have you been following our latest content from the VICPP staff and volunteers that we've been posting across our social media platforms? 

VICPP's powerful Social Media Team is back in action this year! We are asking for volunteers who will agree to post daily (Monday through Friday) during the General Assembly using a draft posting we will send you. This is very effective so rally up everyone you can and sign up! A massive thank you to those of you who have already signed up! If you can help with the Social Media Team, either click the button below or email Director of Communications, Ayesha Taylor, at: AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Students of Virginia -- Join us to learn the legislative process in Virginia and how to advocate with your elected representatives! Come into Richmond Thursday evening (Feb. 2) for dinner with legislators, an overview of how to lobby, and a social time. Friday morning (Feb. 3), we will start the day with an opportunity to meet with your representatives in the General Assembly. Afterward, we will have lunch and workshops on how to bring advocacy to campus, and standing up for justice in various spheres. Keep an eye out for workshop registrations coming son! 

Bonus: We're working with some universities for professors to offer class credit when you attend this event! Check with your professor to find out if you qualify.

Questions? Email VICPP New Leadership Development Organizer Dr. Terri Erwin at: Terri@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Click the button below for event info and to register!

The holiday season continues for Virginians of all faiths. The GA is up and running. And VICPP still has suggestions of ways to advocate justice in the community! Our team has put together an interfaith calendar marking the festivities of different faith traditions in Virginia from now through February, along with a series of actions you can take to make sure justice plays a role in your celebrations. There are many fun, engaging, and impactful opportunities to engage people of all faiths and goodwill. Plus, it's easy to print and share! Please share widely, in your congregation’s newsletter or bulletin boards, and with friends. Simply click the button below and be sure to share the link!

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.  

Quoted: Kim Bobo and fellow Richmond Coalition for Health Equity members. (VICPP is a member)

Health coalition requesting greater investment in Richmond's East End

NBC 12, Jan. 13, 2023

By John Hood

Excerpted from article:

Months after a New York Times report alleged Bon Secours Mercy Health misused funds from a federal program, a group of community leaders still want to see a change in their neighborhood.

The Richmond Coalition for Health Equity met Thursday night to continue to discuss how they feel Bon Secours mismanaged funds from the federal government’s 340B program and invested money into wealthier communities.

“The federal government gave Bon Secours a lot of that money with the understanding that certain things would be done,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin said at the meeting. “Those things have not been done and that money has been diverted and it has hurt the Church Hill community and it has hurt the greater Richmond community.”

Through the program, nonprofit health systems like Bon Secours can purchase prescription drugs at a steep discount and charge insured patients full price.

...

“This was an agreement that you made 10 years ago with the city in exchange for very low-rent property that allowed you to do things in the West End,” Kim Bobo, with Virginia Interfaith Center said at the meeting. “It was an agreement that was already made and it was not in response to 340B.

East End deserves transparency, details from Bon Secours, group says

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Jan. 12, 2023

By Luca Powell